


One Foot in Front of the Other: Advice and Prompts for Writing Pokemon Fan Fiction

by WildBoots



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Nonfiction, Writing, Writing Advice, Writing Exercise, Writing Guide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-04-22 09:42:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 40,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildBoots/pseuds/WildBoots
Summary: I’m interested in offering general advice you can apply to whatever you’re writing.My focus in this  guide is twofold:1) to show you how to puzzle your way through story and character construction by asking yourself useful questions and2) to push you to explore ideas you might not explore normally and to generate new content for your existing stories.More than anything, I decided to put this guide together because it’s advice I could have used when I was a baby fic writer. I know a bit more now than I did then. Hopefully it’s helpful to you too!
Comments: 63
Kudos: 24





	1. Introduction: What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Writing Guide Part 2: Story](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/548848) by Farla. 

> Sections I'm planning to add to/expand upon at a later time:
> 
> \- Outlining  
\- Character Arc (examples)  
\- Visually-based prompts  
\- New prompts: write an imitation, review your own old work
> 
> Open to feedback! Let me know if anything is confusing or doesn't ring true for you. Editing this work isn't my top priority right now, but I already have plans to go back and make some changes when I get the chance. It's already been cool to see how many people are passionate about the craft!

**I. Introduction**

If you’re writing fanfic, you might as write what you want. It’s personal, it’s indulgent, and it’s often silly. Above all, it’s writing practice. All writing is good for you, no matter what your skill level is. Regardless, it’s nice to receive feedback on your work and have other people to share your ideas with. Writing well and choosing interesting subjects make it more likely that you will get meaningful engagement, and you’ll feel good about your work, too.

Luckily, writing fic means you can often get instantaneous feedback as you write. However, there are two problems with the type of feedback you’re most likely to get:  
1) it comes after you’ve already written, meaning you have to either go back and fix what you maybe thought was a finished work or accept errors in your work.  
2) This kind of critique tends to be laser-focused on individual errors rather than general advice to help you improve for next time.****

I’ve noticed that the vast majority of existing writing guides in the pokemon fan community (and probably most fan communities) don’t actually tell you how to write well. They just scold you about specific crimes: don’t write about these overused pokemon, don’t use the word _said_, only use _said,_ don’t capitalize pokemon names, always capitalize them ... Some of these details have little impact on the overall quality of your story and come down to personal taste. Others do affect readability, but it can be hard to know what to do when all you’re told is what not to do.

I’m interested in offering general advice you can apply to whatever you’re writing. In this guide, I’ve gathered tips, techniques, and advice from my sixteen years of writing both fan fiction and original fiction: **how to keep your writing from feeling stiff or confusing, how to keep yourself writing when you’re not sure what happens next, and how to create characters that are more than just a checklist of traits.** Of course, you’re welcome to ignore all of this advice and skip right to the prompts, which are set apart and in bold text. The advice and prompts collected here relate to most kinds of writing, but are especially true for writers of pokemon fan fiction.

My focus in thisguide is twofold:

**1) to show you how to puzzle your way through story and character construction by asking yourself useful questions and**

**2) to push you to explore ideas you might not explore normally and to generate new content for your existing stories.** ****

This guide includes more than 20 prompts and writing challenges, and I expect to add more later on. Some can be done in a few minutes, and some call for a deep dive. Some relate to character, others to setting, others to plot development, and still others to your writing style itself. Some are questions to be answered by writing a scene, some are invitations to brainstorm, and later I’ll add some that ask you to invent a story to go with an illustration. You can use these prompts to help you start the unwritten idea that’s been on the tip of your pen for weeks, or to reboot ideas you’ve already been developing.

Throughout this guide, I refer to both mainstream fiction and my own fics as examples. There will be spoilers for my story “Spring” in particular. If that bothers you, I recommend getting caught up on that story first or skipping those passages. By no means do I think my own example is the best example, but I have lots of it on hand.

More than anything, I decided to put this guide together because it’s advice I could have used when I was a baby fic writer. I know a bit more now than I did then. Hopefully, it’s helpful to you too!


	2. Where to Draft Your Stories

**II. Where to Write Your Stories**

Before we start writing, let’s talk about writing tools.

You should write wherever and with whatever tools work best for you. If that’s your great-grandfather’s typewriter, great. If that’s your spiral-bound notebook, great. This is what works for me.

_ _

> _Hot tip: write your first drafts by hand._

I sometimes write my rough drafts in a spiral-bound notebook. Mine is pocket-sized so I can throw it into any purse or backpack, which makes it easy to write on the train and do something constructive during my commute. It also means I’m not as easily distracted by all that the internet has to offer, including the Wikipedia wormholes I tell myself are research but are really just procrastination. I also find a notebook a much friendlier space to work than, say, a blank Word document. I can scribble on the page, cross things out, and write badly where no one else can see. I can get it out of my system, and no one else has to know.

Afterward, translating handwritten notes into a digital draft also helps me get distance from my own words so I can more easily find parts that need to change. Any word processing program will do the trick, even something as basic as Notepad, but I organize my chapters in [Scrivener](https://www.literatureandlatte.com/store/scrivener?tab=Windows). It’s not a free program, but it has definitely been worth the money for me. (There’s also a slightly cheaper student-and-educator license.) If it’s not in the budget, don’t worry—there are lots of [free alternatives](https://alternativeto.net/software/scrivener/) out there. All the same, I’ll talk a little bit about how I use Scrivener in case it’s something you’d like to try. For the record, I’m not getting any support from Scrivener to talk them up, financial or otherwise—I just like the program that much.

**There are lots of things to like about Scrivener, but here’s what I like most:**

  1. It’s modular, making it easy to rearrange chapters and scenes in whatever way makes the most sense to you.
  2. There’s a full-screen mode that lets you adjust how much of the background, if any, is visible to reduce distractions.
  3. On the other hand, if you like to multitask, you can look at two text files side-by-side on the same screen for easy comparison, copying, and pasting.
  4. You also have the option of using a document view or an outline view. For me, this is helpful for big-picture planning and tracking perspective characters by chapter.
  5. You can easily store notes and research references all over the place, whether it’s off to the side in your inspector or as a separate text file attached to a specific chapter. 
  6. You can set word count goals per text file or for the entire story, and you can also track how much you’ve written in a single session.
  7. If you're willing to pay more, you can also get the app on your phone. I do a lot of writing curled up in a chair or in my bed when I'm too lazy to go to my desktop computer. After, it's easy to sync so I can pick up where I left off.

This is how I organize my stories in my “binder” in Scrivener:

I've got separate folders for chapters, scraps and outtakes, brainstorming and planning, character information, location information, and research notes.

Each chapter has a synopsis that pops up when I hover over the file or when I'm in corkboard view (not shown here). For most chapters, I also have document notes to the right (usually major beats, moods I want to capture, and guiding questions. I track things like character inventories or backstories as separate documents attached to the relevant chapter so I can hold both open at once to easily compare and contrast). Scrivener gives you lots of room to organize your parts and pieces in whatever way makes the most sense for your story.

My scraps folder is where I dump ideas I don’t have a clear place for yet and stuff I don’t want in the story anymore but don’t yet want to delete either—you never know what might come in handy. I like to use the split-screen view to compare the current chapter to a previous draft or an outline to make sure that when I’m fleshing out a scene I don’t miss anything major I’d previously planned.

I also use Scrivener for the Monster of the Week (a tabletop role-playing game, or TTRPG) campaign I run for my friends, and I use a different setup for that project. For my campaign, unlike with “Continental Divides,” it makes sense to use keywords to track characters and secret organizations so I can easily search for linkages in the complicated web of character relationships. I keep separate documents for summaries of what actually happened in play, things the players might run across if they do (or fail to do) certain things, lists of names I can use to slap together a side character, player character profiles and my ongoing questions and problems for each, side characters, and settings. Lots of these could be useful to have on hand for a fiction project as well.

Whether you use Scrivener or something else, sometimes it can be helpful to mix up your routine.

> **Writing Challenge: Write somewhere you wouldn’t normally.**
> 
> If you normally type everything on a computer, try writing in a notebook or on your phone. If you normally write on your couch, move to a park or a library. If you normally write in Microsoft Word, try writing in Notepad instead. Sometimes a change of scenery can change your mentality or offer a new perspective.
> 
> **Bonus Challenge: Eavesdrop.**
> 
> If you’re writing in a new physical space, incorporate “found dialogue” into your story. Take note of what people leave out when they speak.

Wherever you’re writing and whatever you’re writing with, get your supplies ready because we’re going to talk next about getting the most use of the prompts in this guide.


	3. Getting the Most Use out of Prompts: Or, The Difference Between Scene and Summary

**III: Getting the Most Use out of Prompts: Or, The Difference Between Scene and Summary**

Sometimes it’s helpful to jot down a list of ideas or questions before you begin writing, or you may want to create an outline of your plot ideas so you don’t forget which direction you were heading. Both can guide you towards consistent storytelling. There is also a place in storytelling for summarization—sometimes it’s what the pacing calls for. More often than not, however, when you sit down to write, you should push yourself to **write** **scenes**.

A _scene_ is a specific moment in the story happening at a specific time and in at least one specific place. A _summary_ is vague and may cover a wide span of time in no place in particular. Usually, a scene ends when a character either achieves a goal or fails to do so. A summary might appear in the middle of a scene or between scenes as a cool-down.

Here is an example of a summary and a scene from “Spring”:

> _ _
> 
> **_Summary_**  
Like all children of Olivine, Chris grew up in the shadow of the nameless, unimaginable Whirl Islands monster. If he dared swim out too far, his aunt told him one summer, he might encounter a terrible sea monster who would mistake him for its child and drag him into the depths. The version repeated on the playground was simpler and more brutal: it could swallow a grown man whole. Questions of whether the monster could travel the Olivine sewer system kept him up at night. When Chris repeated these stories to his parents, sobbing in terror of the family beach outing, his father smiled but corrected firmly: riptides. Hiro Nakano taught Chris and his sister how to spot rip currents, what to do if they were ever caught in a rip, and what types of weather bring tentacool to shore. Chris wasn’t afraid of sea monsters anymore after that.
> 
> He had never been taught to expect money under his pillow when he lost a tooth. Easter was just something other families did, though he might convince his mom to add marshmallow pika-peeps to their shopping cart. They celebrated Christmas, loosely, but they never left cookies for Santa or carrots for his stantler. The first time he’d heard about the ritual from a classmate, Chris had been baffled. He was good at keeping his skepticism to himself though, unlike his sister, who made herself the pariah of the first grade one week for arguing Santa logistics._ Stantler don’t fly, stupid. _
> 
> **_Excerpt of a scene_**  
At the top of the rise, Chris unloaded his backpack and stretched while he waited for Jane and Tikal to catch up. He’d guessed right: the Ecruteak City skyline glittered beyond the trees. Bell Tower’s tiers were visible even from here. There were few other tall buildings to confuse with it, and even the tallest could hardly be called skyscrapers—Ecruteak was defensive of its traditions. Below them was Lake Mortar and a scattering of ponds. The water was low from the lack of rain, but they’d still be spending the afternoon with Chris’s lapras.
> 
> Behind him, Jane crested the hill with a sigh of either relief or appreciation for the natural beauty. Maybe a bit of both. She drank deeply from her water bottle, the only thing she carried.
> 
>   
When she finished, Chris pointed and said, “There it is. See it? We’ll be in Ecruteak by dinner time.”
> 
>   
Jane frowned. “It looks … strange from here.”
> 
>   
“Yeah, I mean … I guess there’s a little bit of a heat mirage. But you’ll see it up close soon enough.”
> 
>   
“Yes, I am eager to be home.” She tightened the knot in her scarf. “Shall we?”
> 
>   
“Why don’t you sit down for a minute. We should eat something.” Chris bent to look through his backpack. “Here—want some jerky?”
> 
>   
Jane took what Chris handed her and smelled it. She watched, frowning, as Chris tore off a piece for himself and stuffed it into his mouth. “What is it?”
> 
>   
“Um …” He chewed. “Stantler, I think. You don’t usually see tauros in this part of the country.”
> 
>   
She looked aghast. “I cannot eat the flesh of another creature. I know it is rude to reject a gift, but … What if it were my sister?”

Both are written in third person past tense and both give us important information about the story, yet reading them feels very different. The scene includes one conversation between two characters. The summary takes places over the course of several weeks and is made of many paraphrased conversations with an aunt, various classmates, and a parent—all compressed into one paragraph. Although a summary may contain specific details, it’s never going to be evocative in the same way as a scene because it doesn’t have the same kind of tension. Each line of dialogue in the scene is a moment of these two characters testing each other and pushing for their own separate goals. It’s also possible to write a scene with no dialogue.

> **Writing challenge: write a scene with no dialogue.**
> 
>   
Start by deciding the order of events. Make sure that everything you describe is happening in the story’s present, not earlier that morning and not three years prior. If you get stuck, ask yourself, “And then what? And then what does this character do?” Think about ways each character might move in the space, objects they might touch, and things they might see.

Your story ought to have more scenes than summary, unless you’re trying to write a fairy tale or something experimental. For example, the novel _Buddha in the Attic_ is written in first person plural and is therefore entirely summary because each sentence is about eight different women simultaneously. It builds tension instead through litany and juxtaposition. Similarly, fairy tales tend to be mostly summary because they’re representational. Even named characters, like Snow White or Cinderella, have generic names relating to their appearances and are meant to be stand-ins for a typical person. Their stories create tension through repetition and symbol instead of through character development.

Different stories use different ratios of showing and telling. Neither is inherently right or wrong. However, if you want your original characters or favorite characters from canon to shine, you should make them occupy a specific moment as often as possible.

In the same way that a scene is the best way to catch your readers’ attention, it’s also the best way to catch your own when you read through your notes later and try to turn them into a story. Looking again at the summary and the scene above, which one would you be more eager to add to? The summary could be followed by almost too many things. Because it floats in a vague no-time-in-particular, it’s hard to decide what to do with it. The scene, however, has a natural momentum. At the very least, a response is going to be required from Chris. We can also guess what a response might be based on what’s already written—there’s a framework in place that we can use to propel ourselves forward in the story.

For the next writing challenge, we’ll try both.

> **Writing challenge: Write a pokemon fairy tale. **
> 
> It should center around a lesson that children in the pokemon world would need to learn. You do not need to name characters or include dialogue—general titles like “the old woman” are totally fine. (But you may if you want to.)  
OR, write five hundred words of a story in first person plural. (Write from the perspective of we, us, and our instead of I, me, and mine.) Perhaps it’s from the perspective of the last survivors of the aftermath of a cataclysm caused by a legendary. Perhaps it’s from the perspective of a dugtrio or another set of closely related pokemon. Perhaps it’s from the perspective of the Rockets wondering what happened to their leader. Perhaps it’s from the perspective of a trainer’s team. Perhaps it’s from the perspective of the ghosts of Mt. Pyre. You decide.
> 
>   
Then, look at what you’ve written and pick a moment that interests you. **Write an expanded scene** either inspired by it or following it chronologically.

Next, I’ll share some principles I use to guide my own writing.


	4. My Core Writing Principles

**IV. My Core Writing Principles**

No matter what I’m writing, whether it’s original fiction or fan fiction, these are the goals I try to keep in mind and measure myself against. I’ll go into greater detail and offer examples.

  1. Be specific.
  2. Be clear.
  3. Let yourself be guided by questions.
  4. Position your characters to make tough choices and sacrifices.
  5. Be consistent.
  6. Stay focused in action.

* * *

**1\. Be specific.**

You’ll keep your readers (and yourself) more interested if you can be specific. That doesn’t mean you need to describe _every single thing_ that might possibly be in a scene. The more description you add, the more you slow the pace of the story—which is not always a bad thing but _is_ something to be aware of. Showing the reader a_ few specific_ objects gives more information about your world and your characters without bogging down the pacing too much.

Consider the following passage from one of my old stories:

> _Version one:_
> 
> This wasn’t the first time Katie had wandered off by herself. A couple of times Florence had found her pacing in front of a random store, unable to remember how she’d gotten there. Other times, a friend or neighbor had apprehended her and it was the phone call that woke Florence in the middle of the night. Katie had begun disappearing often enough that Florence was considering hiring someone to help watch her, or at least a chain and a padlock. So far, they had been very lucky and Katie had come home safely within a few hours every time, but Florence wondered how long that could last.
> 
> _Version two:_
> 
> This wasn’t the first time Katie had wandered off by herself. A couple of times Florence had found her, after hours of searching, pacing like a robot in front of a random store and unable to remember how she’d gotten there. Burrs were caught in the lace of her muddy nightgown. Other times, a friend or neighbor had apprehended her and the phone call left Florence stumbling to find her shoes and her belt of pokeballs in the dark. Katie had begun disappearing often enough that Florence was considering hiring someone to help watch her, or at least a chain and a padlock. She had written a few numbers on a post-it note on her bedside table but hadn’t called any yet. So far, they had been very lucky and Katie had come home safely within a few hours every time, but Florence wondered how long that could last.
> 
> _Version three:_
> 
> Katie was gone. Again.
> 
> A month ago, Florence found her wandering up and down the Walgreens aisles with a shopping basket filled with bags of cotton balls and no memory of how she’d gotten there. Four nights ago, Florence’s phone woke her at three in the morning. Mrs. French, the neighborhood skitty hoarder, had spotted Katie standing in her berry patch, oblivious to the sprinklers soaking her nightgown.
> 
> These episodes were happening more and more often, and Florence was at a loss for what to do but go out and bring her sister back. The night of Katie’s field trip to Mrs. French’s garden, the new Secur-IT system had been good for little else but video footage of Katie disabling the locks in her sleep and leaving the door open behind her.

Version one was a first draft I never finished. The setting includes “a random store” and little else. The house and neighborhood is implied but nebulous. It has the feel of a half-remembered dream rather than a space that calls us to explore it.

In version two I added more description and detail than the first, but the descriptions feel cluttered and still vague. There is more detail here … but we don’t actually have much more information to go on than we do in the first version.

In the last version, I replaced “a random store” with a Walgreens and “a friend or neighbor” with Mrs. French, the skitty hoarder. The details not only give us a stronger sense of place but also deepen the strangeness of Katie’s wanderings and Florence’s concern. This world still doesn’t have much in it—this is still less a scene than it is a summary—but now it has much more of a sense of a place that could be explored, where we can question and imagine what might be around the corner.

Giving the neighbor a name and a snide description means she’s someone my characters could encounter again and the reader will recognize her. Maybe she’ll encounter Florence while walking home and offer well-meaning advice that misses the mark, showing us Florence’s frustration and lack of useful resources for this problem. Maybe we get a flashback scene of Mrs. French babystitting Florence and Katie, a glimpse at the way their lives were before this problem started. Maybe we don’t need to use Mrs. French again. Maybe she’s just another piece of the setting. Either way, she adds more to the setting as a specific, named entity, and she’s easier to reach for as a tool to highlight other aspects of these characters’ lives when she’s not simply “a neighbor.”

Something important to notice about the kinds of specific details in version three of the above passage is that they’re all **details you wouldn’t know to picture without me telling you to do so. You don’t need to be specific about details your readers will already know**. For example, if you’re writing in the pokemon fandom, you really, really don’t need to describe your pokemon from head to toe. Your readers already know that a growlithe is orange with black stripes. They’re reading fic _because_ they’re already familiar with pokemon.

On the other hand, a blue growlithe would be weird and therefore worth noting. You might also mention details that make one individual pokemon stand out from another. For example, my fic “Continental Divides” features a mightyena who is missing part of one ear. This is an important detail not only because it adds something to this character and the world (it implies battles are dangerous and can result in lasting injuries and scars) but it also signals that this pokemon belongs to the protagonist’s brother; when that trainer shows up later, we know it’s him immediately because of the one-eared mightyena. Similarly, my protagonist recognizes her wingull in a crowd because of her speckled wingtips.

Other specific details you might consider including when describing a pokemon (that aren’t a head-to-toe description ripped from Bulbapedia): is it larger or smaller than average? Does it have a snaggletooth, limp, scar, or another physical flaw? Does it have special markings or accessories like a collar?

There will be more on this in the section about character descriptions.

When you add these details, make sure you’re considering relevance. Good writing isn’t a contest for who can describe the world in the most minute detail; if you oversaturate your text with details, you slow down your exposition and risk overwhelming your readers. Your details should be carefully chosen to make the reader picture something that’s important to the story. More isn’t always more, but specificity is usually helpful.

* * *

**2\. Be clear.**

This is not a grammar guide. My focus on this guide is on character and world-building, because even stories with perfect grammar fail if their characters or world are poorly handled.Grammar and language choice will be among the last things you check before you post a piece of writing. However, it is still important. Your job as a writer is not only to tell a story but to tell it so it can be followed clearly. Bad grammar is confusing. A confused reader is one who has been pulled from the narrative, even if it’s over a minor turn of phrase. You’ve lost them for a moment. And if you’ve lost them for a moment, they might be tempted to put the story down for good.

**What’s the point of telling a story if no one can follow what you’re trying to say?**

In some rare instances, there might be good reasons for using incorrect grammar, like in _Flowers for Algernon_ in which the narrator’s poor writing ability tells us important information about his character’s limited intellect. In some cases, correct grammar may sound too formal for the narration style a story demands. For example, ending a sentence with a proposition is technically incorrect. However, there are times when reordering a sentence to avoid ending with a preposition sounds stiff and stilted. (_Who should he go with?_ flows much more naturally than the technically correct but pretentious _With whom should he go?_) As another example, the word _impact_ is traditionally meant to refer only to an object physically striking something, like the impact of a meteor hitting the earth. However, the word is used so often in contemporary English to refer to the consequences or reach of an event, such as the impact of someone’s words, that it’s silly to disallow that use; it doesn’t take away clarity for the reader. (For a more fun examples on the history of how English grammar has changed and annoyed people over time, check out _Bad English: A History of Linguistic Aggravation _by Ammon Shea.) These kinds of allowable lapses almost never happen, and you’d better have an extremely well-thought-out reason for it—you can’t accidentally misspell every other word and call it a style choice.

Again,** correct grammar makes the story clear for your reader.**

Clear writing isn’t just about stringing together technically correct sentences. It also means choosing words that are the best fit, not the ones you think sound most impressive or interesting. The thesaurus is your friend … but it shouldn’t be the only altar where you worship. For example, it is truly, truly okay to use the mundane, often-used word “eyes.” _Orbs_ is unclear and confusing. (This is especially true in Hoenn- and Sinnoh-centric stories, because those regions have magical orbs as key items. You really don’t want someone wondering whether “sapphire orbs” is referring to someone’s eye color or a weather deity.)

Shorter sentences are also easier to digest than longer ones (though of course you should also mix up sentence length to create rhythm and to avoid staleness).

Here are afew often-overlooked pitfalls in sentence flow and clarity with suggested solutions:

> **_Dangling participles_ **\- Usually, your reader will be able to infer what you meant, but you don’t want to make them pause to figure it out. You want their reading experience to be seamless, and you want the narrative moving forward without disruption.
> 
> _Example_: He released the jolteon from his pokeball, sweating in anticipation of the fight to come.
> 
> _Problem_: Who is sweating, the trainer or the pokemon? Let’s clarify that it’s the trainer.
> 
> _Fix_: Sweating in anticipation of the fight to come, he released the jolteon from his pokeball.
> 
> **Confusing pronouns** \- This is especially common in fight scenes. Even if it feels repetitive, using names or other identifiers means your reader doesn’t have to pause to second guess your word choices.
> 
> _Example_: He swung his fist, but he easily dodged it. As he pulled his fist back again, he caught it, swung him around, and pinned it behind him.
> 
> _Problem_: Who is doing what?
> 
> _One possible fix_: Jack swung his fist, but Mike easily dodged it. As Jack pulled his fist back again, Mike caught it, swung Jack around, and his own arm behind him.
> 
> **Confusing epithets** \- Although you do need to clarify who is doing what during scenes in which multiple characters have the same pronouns, please do default to using a pronoun or name to refer to your character. Again, your goal should be clarity, not sounding fancy. You _can_ use epithets (another word or phrase used in place of a name), but you should do so with care and intention.
> 
> _Example_: Rudy the growlithe was tired, and he knew his companion, Bertie the torchic, must be, too. He hadn’t slept since they ran from the Rockets, and the fire-dog didn’t think he could go on. But the fire-type raised his head. He would go on. With a sigh, the growlithe got off the ground.
> 
> _Problem_: It’s unclear how many characters are in this scene. It’s also unclear which character “the fire-type” is referring to.
> 
> _Fix_: Rudy the growlithe was tired, and he knew his companion, Bertie the torchic, must be, too. He hadn’t slept since they ran from the Rockets, and he didn’t think he could go on. But Rudy raised his head. He would go on. With a sigh, he got off the ground.
> 
> **Wordy prepositions** \- Although not technically incorrect, it can bog the narrative down and become unclear. Playing with sentence structure gives us clearer, more vibrant sentences. Watch out for the word _of_ in particular. (Try using the search function to find all the places you’ve used it!) Choose the strongest verbs you can.
> 
> _Example_: He stood on the edge of the cliff, feeling the weight of his backpack straining with trophies and badges.
> 
> _Problem_: This sentence goes on and on, where a shorter sentence could say the same thing more forcefully.
> 
> _Fix_: He stood on the cliff edge, his trophies and badges weighing on his shoulders.
> 
> If you consistently have trouble with grammar and spelling, considering using a free grammar-checker like [Grammarly](https://www.grammarly.com). It’s not without flaws—sometimes it does offer incorrect suggestions—so you should try to be aware of grammar rules as well, but it’s okay to use a program as an aid.

* * *

**3\. Let yourself be guided by questions.**

Most of us are drawn to fanfiction because there’s something in the fandom that makes us either curious or frustrated. Maybe it’s a piece of lore you wish had been explored more deeply. Maybe it’s a character whose arc you found unsatisfying. Either way, these are moments for questions, and you can use your questions to enter a story. There are countless possibilities, but here are a few that spark my interest:

  * What was it like to be an ancient pokemon trainer?
  * What are churches and organized religions like in the pokemon world?
  * What are the politics of the pokemon world? What are its governing bodies?
  * Who created the ruins of the Alph?
  * Who were the first gym leaders?
  * How were the first artificial pokemon made? Why? By whom?

> **Think of 3-5 questions you have for the fandom.**
> 
> Who? What? How? Why? What if?
> 
> The most useful questions for creating stories and world-building create new questions. **Brainstorm 5-10 more questions that arise from your previous question**.
> 
> How can you dig deeper? What details are missing? What else would you need to know to answer your first question?

Let’s use the ancient trainer scenario as an example. Here are more questions I have about that alternative universe:

  * What would be some unique hardships of that time period? (What major events were happening in our world in ancient times?)
  * Had pokeballs been invented yet or did they use something else? Were there other alternatives to apricorns?
  * How did trainers show their worth? What came before gyms?
  * Who were contemporary heroes and idols? (Who were some real life ancient heroes I could borrow from?)
  * What would daily life be like?
  * How do they respond to illness?

As you can see, some of these questions include triggers to research related topics in the real world, and others are opportunities for me to make decisions and invent my own answers.

> **Writing challenge: Write a scene that answers one of your secondary questions.**
> 
> It should be at least five hundred words.

Questions aren’t only for helping us get started. They help us keep the story moving in a way that makes sense.

For folks who like to plan, there can be a danger of writing yourself into a corner or planning the story so much that it becomes stiff, flat, and dead. Asking questions along the way creates room to explore and make discoveries in the the story as you write.

One great example of using questions to let the story evolve organically comes from the world of TTRPGs. The game Dungeon World includes a powerful four-word mandate for game masters: **draw maps, leave blanks.**

Since Dungeon World operates in a high fantasy setting, that includes literal maps of cities and mountain ranges and troll villages and evil lairs, etc. If you’re writing about a canon pokemon region, you might be using the maps that already exist. If that’s the case, you can take “leave blanks” as an excuse to go off-roading and zoom in closer. What if there were an island south of Cinnawood Town? What if there were a town north of Fallarbor Town? What if Mount Moon contained a city built by pokemon? What does the banking district of Saffron City look like? You can always magnify and find places to add more detail. There are always more worlds within worlds.

Whether you’re creating your own locations and maps or using existing ones, “leave blanks” might also mean to purposefully leave some details vague in the planning so you can have room later for the volcano you suddenly realize you need four chapters down the line. As discussed in my first principle, being specific does not require you to add _every single_ detail. Leave yourself room to explore.

When I write (and when I run TTRPG campaigns as well), I like to keep a list of guiding questions. These are questions I don’t know the answer to when I begin the story. The goal is not to answer these questions right away necessarily but to see where the questions take me. I might ask questions that keep me on the lookout for ways to cause interesting problems for characters: What’s the worst thing that could happen to Chris right now? How is Natalie most vulnerable to attack? Others offer opportunities to get to know the character better: How do Bishop’s parents feel about his career choice? What does Syd miss about Aurelia? Other questions might relate to world-building: How do non-trainers travel to The Indigo Plateau?

**Writing challenge: Write three questions you have for a story you’re working on.**

For each question, list two possible answers that would pull your plot in a different direction from where it’s headed now. Is there anything intriguing about those new directions? What else would have to change to make it work?

_Hot tip: If you’re not sure which direction to take, try writing both and see which version you like better!_

Questions give you something to move towards and keep you from getting too rigid. The last thing you want is to fixate on one perfect ending that no longer makes sense in the context of everything else you’ve written.

Check in with yourself. Stay curious.

* * *

**4\. Position your characters to make tough choices and sacrifices.**

Character doesn’t come from a list of traits—you are so much more than your hair color and your favorite flavor of ice cream! We learn who a character is by the choices they make. When writing stories, the most interesting character choices happen when there’s something to lose, a danger or a consequence.

Going back to letting yourself be guided by questions, a good line of questioning is always _what can I take away from this character? What would make this challenge harder?_

I’ll expand on those ideas in more detail later in the sections on character development. For now, a quick writing challenge to whet your pallet:

> **Writing challenge**: **Think of your favorite canonical fictional character. List three of their traits and which of their choices show those traits**. **Then write three choices they could have made instead and how that would change our image of them.**
> 
> If Mulan were meant to be sneaky instead of brave, what choices might she have made instead of taking her father’s place in the army? What choices would have made Harry Potter seem more snobby? More insecure?
> 
> Think of the same character. At which moment in their story did they take the biggest risk? What did they stand to lose?

* * *

**4\. Be consistent.**

Consistency makes your story clear (see principle number two) and gives you a set of rules by which you can test your character (see principle number four).

This applies especially to world-building. What are the rules for becoming a trainer? Are there other codes of conduct? Is your battle system modeled more on the anime or the games? Whatever you decide, be sure you apply those rules to all characters in all chapters. Make notes for yourself (or use a program like Scrivener that makes it easy to track keywords or use labels).

One of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make for a pokemon fanfic is how intelligent your pokemon are. Are they more animal or human? Do they have their own language, or do their cries only express broad emotions? How easy is it to train them? Do they like being kept for battles, are they indifferent, or do they resist? If you’re writing a world where pokemon are intelligent and can communicate in their own language, then they’re probably also intelligent enough not to scratch furniture and defecate indiscriminately… unless, of course, it’s also to communicate something.

Worlds with smarter, more human-like pokemon tend to feel more idealistic and childlike. More animal-like pokemon are a better fit for a gritty or grimdark setting. It’s possible to mix and match—real life, after all, can surprise us by defying expectations—but be sure to think about how your representation of pokemon fits with other pieces of your world and plot points.

Ask yourself lots of questions to make sure you’re following your own rules. Here are some examples you might consider:

  * Does concept Y flow naturally from concept X, or am I straining to explain and justify it?
  * Does my plot rely on everybody but my character being incompetent, or are the rules applied fairly to all characters?
  * How often do I make exceptions for a specific character?
  * Do authority figures respond appropriately to maintain the rules and regulations I’ve established?
  * Are there consequences for breaking rules?
  * Do some pokemon seem smart while others seem robotic?
  * Does the speaking style I’ve given this character match the background I’ve chosen for them?

* * *

**5\. Stay focused in action.**

Some writers also call it focusing on “the outer world” (as opposed to the internal world of thoughts and feelings). This is my answer to two problems: passive voice and over-reliance on inner monologue. Both devices are valid writing tools, but too much of either can slow the story down and make it much less interesting.

> Let’s compare an excerpt from an older draft of “Spring” and the same moment in the most recent version of this story:
> 
> ** _Version 1:_ **
> 
> First, Chris had to consider whether it was safe to move her. He couldn’t tell if she was injured or not, but he knew he couldn’t leave her in the snow. Although his first aid training had been some time ago, Chris still remembered that the most obvious treatment for hypothermia was to take the person somewhere warm and dry.
> 
> That also meant he would have to remove her snow-soaked clothes.
> 
> The thought alone made the blood rush to his face and his hands go clammy. He tried to imagine some way not to have to undress her—but then his stomach swooped with nauseous shame. She didn’t have time for him to be scared of her!
> 
> First I need something else to cover her up with, he rationalized. Chris laid out his sleeping bag and a relatively clean set of clothes on top of his tent’s ground tarp. He stole a glance at the unconscious, frozen girl and rubbed his hands across his face. “Okay. You can do this.”
> 
> ** _Version 2:_ **
> 
> Pulling away, he rocked back on his heels and chewed the inside of his cheek. He pinched the sleeve that lay in the snow and found it damp, as he knew it would be. “Oh man,” he said in a gust of visible breath. He stared up through the skeletal branches and snowflakes. The daylight was dimming. He removed his other glove, rubbed his face, and returned his gaze to the girl. “Oh man,” he repeated.
> 
> …
> 
> He swept his gaze over the clearing—surveying his stacked supplies, noting the blank but darkening sky and the deepening shadows, and then finally allowing his eyes to fall upon the girl. “Okay,” he said to the air, as if the word could calm his fluttering stomach. His face was red and his hands shook, but he lay them on the girl’s stomach with a touch so light it wouldn’t have made a ripple in water. He fingered the red cord, bit his cheek, and pulled the knot loose. Before continuing, he told her, “I’m so sorry about this. I promise I’m not trying to be gross … I just want to help you. So I have to.” He took a breath. “Whether we like it or not.”
> 
> He had never seen a naked girl in real life.

The first version tells us exactly what Chris is thinking and his list of priorities. It assumes the reader wouldn’t know that treating hypothermia would require getting the patient into dry clothes, which is common sense. The second version includes no verbatim thoughts and very little summary of what he’s thinking, instead showing us what he sees and what he does with his body. All the same, we can still easily see that Chris is nervous and conflicted, and with a greater sense of immediacy to boot. Even the choice to have him speak aloud to an unconscious person (or to himself) says something about his level of anxiety that hearing his thoughts would not. I prefer the more cinematic quality of the second version.

Another reason to focus on action and specificity is that they can help you keep writing when you’re not sure what to do next. When you get stuck, try to think of the next small action your character could do or specific item your they might touch. What else do they see, hear, smell, taste? Even if it feels like stalling, it’s keeping you anchored in the scene and giving you jumping-off points that might inspire dialogue or another opportunity for action.

For example: in “Spring,” I never planned ahead of time to include my idea that the Ecruteak Gym would have trap doors. (As I recall, in the canon of the games, it’s an invisible pathway across an abyss.) I added the detail on a whim, and it became a reason for Chris to be stuck in the city for a while—sprained wrist!—and then to meet another character, who turned out to be valuable for later revealing a weakness in his character. The trap door idea came in handy again when I used it as a jumping-off point for Chris to realize he was making a mistake in a later chapter.

Another example: early on in the story, I described Chris’s belt in detail because it tickled my fancy, and I made it a place where he stores money. Without planning it ahead of time, I realized that making Chris lose his belt in the course of the story would arise naturally from an earlier problem and would then create the perfect circumstance for another obstacle I wanted him to encounter. If I hadn’t taken the time to make that belt more tangible for myself, I might not have thought to use it in that way.

> **Writing challenge: speed up and slow down.**
> 
> First try writing about a simple act, such as lighting a candle or making a sandwich, in great detail. Fill an entire page if you can. Don’t use internal monologue in this exercise — focus on actions. Focus as much as possible on the act itself, not other actions coming before or after.
> 
> **Next, practice the opposite:** compress an event that takes a long time (months, years, generations) into a single sentence. Here’s a wonderful example from writer and educator Ron Carlson: “Myra had four children in a row, turned twenty-six, and stood in the hall window with both hands over her mouth.”
> 
> What effect does each pacing give? In what types of situations would you use each?

With these six principles in mind, let’s talk about character in more depth.


	5. Creating Characters: On Names

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters deal with character!
> 
> I changed wording for clarity and added a few more examples.

**V. Creating Characters**

Not all fandoms are friendly to original characters (OCs), but in Pokemon and other game-based fandoms, they’re expected and even celebrated. We fall in love with our own characters, and we hope the community will too. Creating your own characters can be one of the most fun in writing … and a challenge.

It’s easy to get caught up in the minutia. Fan communities especially are rife with character questionaires and templates that demand to know eye color, height, favorite food … **You might think you’re getting to know your character better, but it doesn’t matter if it has no bearing on the story you’re trying to tell.** Questionaires can be useful only as long as you know what questions are relevant and helpful.

I’ll offer you some questions I find useful, starting with the most important ones. These are questions you’ll need to answer for both original characters and your versions of canon characters. We’ll spend the next few chapters adding other details to our characters.

**To build a character, you really only need to answer two questions: what is their name, and what is their goal?**

* * *

**1\. On names**

Ron Carlson shares in his how-to guide, _Ron Carlson Writes a Short Story_, that he defaults to Mickey for all male characters and to Doris for all female characters. That way, he doesn’t waste time procrastinating and looking through lists of names for the perfect one. His goal is to write continuously without interrupting himself, including just enough detail to keep himself moving forward in the story. Later, he uses the search and replace function to quickly replace all the _Mickey’s_ and _Doris’s_ with whatever clever name he’s thought up later.

His approach won’t suit everyone, but it’s worth remembering you don’t have to be as precious with naming as you think you do. You can always change it later.

That said … I love thinking up names and using them to say something about a character. (For example, a character named River is way more likely to have hippie parents than a character named AJ.) This is especially true for the names your trainer gives their pokemon. I’ve had trainers who name all their pokemon after dystopian and sci-fi writers and trainers who name all their pokemon after food and video game characters. These name choices say as much about the trainer as they do about the pokemon.

Some considerations when picking names: Who chose this name? (Did they choose it themselves, and if so why? Are their parents the type who would give their child a fanciful name or a family name?) Does that name have any connotations in broader society? If it’s a nickname, how did they earn it? Does the name suit them, or is it ironic?

If your character has an unusual name, they probably feel some type of way about it when others mispronounce it or comment on its strangeness—this is an opportunity to show something about your character with a scene. For example, as someone with a non-English name, I take care to enunciate when I meet new people. If someone still manages to mispronounce my name, I immediately distrust them. The opposite can also be true. In _Carry On_ by Rainbow Rowell, Penelope Bunce is a British-Indian spellcaster. Upon meeting her, the protagonist Simon Snow shows his ignorant surprise that someone of her ethnicity could have a name like Penelope, and she quickly puts him back in his place. The moment tells us both about the dynamic between the two characters and about the world of the story.

As often as possible, you should pick names that are distinct from each other so it’s easier to keep track of your characters. If you name your two main characters Samuel and Samson, it’s much easier for me to mix them up than if their names were, say, Samuel and Jacob. The exception is when having similar names conveys information about the world. For example, in _A Song of Ice and Fire_, we immediately know that characters with the last name Snow, Rivers, or Flowers were born out of wedlock and therefore have low status. We also know, without being told,that characters whose names end in -_erys_ (Daenerys, Viserys, Aerys) are part of the Targaryen family, from which we can infer their temperament, appearance, and status before we learn anything other than their name.

As an example, let’s look at Chris Nakano from “Spring.”

My friends and I created this character when we were eight, simply because we liked the name, and I’ve reused it for sentimental reasons. So this name falls under the Ron Carlson method: pick a name and move on.

Even though it wasn’t chosen with much thought, the name does also instantly give Chris a certain flavor that I remain aware of while I’m writing. Chris is a simple name, common both in his world and almost certainly in the large body of existing pokemon fan fiction. It’s easy to pronounce though, which is worth something. The last name Nakano, on the other hand, immediately gives Chris a racial identity: it’s a Japanese name, or whatever passes for Japanese in the Pokemon world.* If you want to look that closely, it’s a name associated with the Kansai region specifically, which means Johto. Seeing that name, I would expect that Chris has at least one Japanese parent, probably has a habit of taking his shoes off when he enters someone’s home, probably has dark hair and Asian features, and probably knows how to use chopsticks—all without being explicitly told. As the writer, I can differentiate him by having him actively defy those expectations … or not. Either way, it’s useful for me to know readers might have those expectations. If I want my readers to think something different, I need to make sure to tell them.

**More examples:**

> In _The Raven Boys_ by Maggie Stiefvater, the main protagonist learns the name of another important character long before she meets him: Gansey. (And, “That’s all there is.”) His full name is Richard Gansey III, which immediately signals his family’s wealth. His choice to use only his last name, though his father calls him Dick, shows how he’s pulling away from his family’s traditions and from the future they expect for him. The use of his last name also says something about his place in the boy’s private school: it evokes the way teenage boys address each other when they’re trying to be cool and tough.
> 
> The protagonist of Philip Pullman’s _His Dark Materials _trilogy is Lyra Belaqua, a name that wouldn’t fit a realistic setting but is befitting of a fantasy setting. Borrowing the name of a constellation might be a nod to her entanglement with destiny — her future has been foretold and will take her to worlds beyond the northern lights, beyond the stars. _Lyra_ might also be a reference to her knack for lyrical storytelling. Later in the story, she earns the nickname Silvertongue, a sign of other characters’ respect for her skill in lying.
> 
> Most of the names in _The Hunger Games_ both sound good in a fantasy setting and have secret meanings. Katniss is a name that reminds us of the more familiar name Katrina or Kat, evoking her ability to shimmy up a tree and to hunt. However, it is also the name of a hardy edible plant, which reflects both her expertise in survival foraging and the story’s ongoing theme of hunger. Peeta is a name that sounds like _pita_, a flatbread, which is fitting for a boy who works at a bakery. The fact that it also sounds like Peter is a grounding element that keeps the unusual name from feeling like nonsense.
> 
> In my story “Continental Divides,” I use names to signal overlap between Aqua and Magma: I’ve got a character whose name is Scarlet but is a member of Aqua, and Magma’s members include a character named River. I also use pokemon names to signal something about the trainer who named them. Steven Stone named his metagross Delorean, which is the name of an 80’s sports car, seen as cutting-edge when it was made and a collector’s item now. Mark’s pokemon are all named for writers, which reflects his love of reading. His boss has renamed himself Montag, as in Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 451. Surely nothing bad can happen when the guy who loves books allies himself with someone named for a literal book-burner. Everyone will be fine.

If you’re using canon characters in your story, the question of naming has already been taken care of for you. It’s still worth looking into the meaning of the name and thinking about other connotations it might have that you might not have already been aware of.

* * *

* I personally treat the Pokemon world like a mashup between real-world Japan, the US, and E) None of the Above. This feels like the most authentic representation to me, both because that's how I understood it as a kid and because I don't think I could realistically depict a world that tried to adhere closely to real-world Japan when I’ve never been there. I choose to imagine a racially diverse Pokemon world because people are always traveling and because so many canon characters are racially ambiguous in their artwork. I don't feel completely beholden to the politics, culture, or history of our world. However, internal consistency is something to watch out for with names. If you treat Kalos as a stand-in for France, you should have a good reason for creating characters that don't have French names. If you treat Johto as an analogue to actual Kansai, Japan, there should be good reasons for introducing characters who aren’t Japanese. Likely it should be addressed in the story through dialogue or in a scene.


	6. Show Me What You’re Made Of: Characters and Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character 2/10

**2\. Show Me What You’re Made Of: Characters and Choice**

This is the part where your story starts to take shape. Stories are about characters doing things, and as I said in my fourth principle of writing, it’s especially interesting to read about characters doing things that are challenging. The best way to make sure your character is doing things (rather than passively allowing things to happen to them) and facing challenges is to make them want something. Once you know what your character wants, it’s much easier to figure out what problems they might encounter along the way and which of those problems would be hardest for them to overcome.

It’s important to note the difference between what your character wants and your character’s goal. Sometimes they’re the same thing, but sometimes they’re not. Your character can (and should) have a goal in each scene, each chapter, and for the story overall. What your character wants is the thing motivating that goal.

Let’s look at Chris Nakano again.

Like many trainers, his goal is to become the champion and prove himself to be the strongest trainer. What he _wants_ is actually to live up to his father’s memory and to earn enough money from battling to maintain his bohemian lifestyle. He quickly learns in the course of the story that completing his initial goal creates new sources of conflict: when trying to follow in his father’s footsteps makes him miserable and strains his friendship with another character, will he still pursue it? Or will he work towards the new goal of protecting his friendship?

> **Writing Challenge**: **List three things your character wants, then answer the following questions.**
> 
> How could pursuing each of those things lead to ruin? What would be the wrong way to try to answer those desires? What might happen if they got way more of one of those things than they bargained for?

It’s okay if you don’t know yet what your character wants—maybe, like in Chris’s example, they don’t actually know what they want. Having a goal is important though because it gives your character an internal rationale for decision-making, one you can use to check your character’s words and deeds for consistency.

Goals can be almost anything, whether simple or complicated. Goals can also change throughout the story, which is fine as long as the change in goals is clearly part of the chain of cause and effect in the story. (The initial goal leads to action A, which leads to consequence B, which forces character to create new goal C.) It’s also likely that your character’s main goal will be made up of smaller goals, which might be goals for individual chapters or scenes.

> Here are a few ideas for character goals and potential obstacles:

Goal: to survive the desert.

Obstacle: a fight with wild pokemon results in dropping the canteen over the side of a cliff. (Man vs. Nature conflict.)

Goal: to uncover family secrets.

Obstacle: living family members are reluctant to talk. (Man vs. Man conflict.)

Goal: to get all 8 badges.

Obstacle: women are strongly discouraged from training pokemon. (Man vs. Society conflict.)

Goal: to raise money for sister’s violin lessons.

Obstacle: Team Rocket offers lots of money with some dubious ethics attached. (Man vs. Self and/or Man vs. Society conflict.)

**Writing Challenge:** **Come up with a goal for your character and list three potential obstacles they could encounter.**

What might make it even more challenging?

Now let’s get to know a character by seeing how they respond to failure.

> **Writing Challenge:** **Write a scene in which your character loses a battle.**
> 
> The focus of the scene should not be on the battle itself but on the aftermath. What additional problems must they now face? (Money shortage? Hurt pokemon? Loss of confidence?) What will they try to do next?
> 
> **Bonus challenge:** The reason they lose the battle is something other than lack of experience, misunderstanding a typing match up, not recognizing an opponent’s pokemon, or someone else’s interference. What other flaws might cause them to make a mistake or be overpowered?
> 
> **Writing Challenge: List three resources that would be terrible for your character to lose.**
> 
> These could range from a badge case to a pokemon to the use of a hand. Write a scene of at least 500 words where your character makes a decision in the aftermath of losing one.

Beyond your character’s goals, you’ll want to ask yourself a few questions to be sure that your main character is the right character to tell your story, especially if you’re someone who’s more motivated by world-building than by character:

  * Is this the character with the most at stake or the most to lose in this story?
  * Does this character have an interesting perspective or (if writing from first person perspective) an interesting way of narrating?
  * Is this the character who interests you most?
  * Is this the character who has the most opportunity for making choices?
  * Is this the character you want readers to feel closest to?

If the answer to those questions is yes, you’re on the right track. If the answer to more than one or two is no, you might want to consider changing the main character of your story.

Regardless of the answers to those questions, consider who else could be the main character. How would the story change? What does the second character bring to the story that the first character doesn’t?


	7. Character Arc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character 3/10

**3\. Character Arc**

The way a character changes (or fails to change) drives stories forward. Character arc also makes planning a plot easier: select your character’s starting position, decide how you want them to change by the end, and then list possible stops along the way that might lead them to those changes. (And as your characters change over time, the kinds of choices they consider might change too.)

In some TV shows and most movies, we watch because we want to see how the characters change and grow. One example would be _Steven Universe_, in which characters have to let go of the past and take on new attitudes to succeed. In other shows, especially comedies, characters may reset to their initial position by the end of the end of the episode or may only change in minor ways. The episode might derive its humor from the character’s inability to change in spite of a situation that asks them to. One example is_ It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia_, in which the characters constantly get themselves into trouble by scheming and lying, surviving trouble only to repeat their mistakes in the next episode. A character’s failure to change might also be tragic, such as in _Macbeth_, in which the title character’s refusal to back down and his fixation on the throne result in lots of deaths.

From what little I have seen, the Pokemon anime is mostly structured around absence of character change for humor and nostalgia. Ash’s surroundings change, but he’s more or less the same cheerful and clueless guy. Team Rocket gets thwarted time and time again, but they always come back for more.

If you want to use these canon characters in your stories, you’ll get the most powerful result if we do see them change. We want to watch events unfold such that the shy couple gets the courage to express their love and be together. We want to watch a bad decision spiral out of control. We want to watch the kid who started from the bottom rise to become champion, growing and changing with each obstacle they encounter.

There are exceptions. Some readers enjoy fan fiction that’s less story and more a collage of vignettes, snapshots in that character’s life. Each vignette may have a beginning, middle, and end … but it might not. The piece gets momentum from juxtaposition instead, and possibly from inverting the chronology.

If you want to write a story with a satisfying _plot_, your characters will have to change.

Some fan fiction readers will shake their fists and cry “OOC!” at the notion. Character change throughout the story and out of character (OOC) writing are different. OOC moments happen when there’s a lack of internal consistency. One moment a character is having an unexplained tantrum for comedic effect and the next they’re behaving like saint. An out of character moment might also occur if a canon character’s starting position in your story feels too distant from their representation in canon. A character’s arc, on the other hand, should reflect choices and changes that stem from their underlying values and the events they experience in the course of the story. You should be able to see a clear line of cause and effect from their starting position to their status at the end.

A character’s starting position in the narrative can also come at nearly any point in the character’s entire lifetime. In the same way we don’t need to watch every single character learn to crawl and then walk as babies in order to believe they can run as adults, you are not required to start your journey fic with a trainer receiving their starter—especially if it’s not the most interesting part of the story.

“Spring” is my most traditional journey fic, and it starts between Chris’s seventh and eighth gym badges—nearly at the end of a typical badge quest. Nevertheless, Chris still has lots of learning and growing (and melting down) to do. Late in the game is when he first encounters a turning point that challenges his ideas about what kind of life he wants to lead. Even though it is a story in which he earns badges, the story isn’t _about_ him earning badges; it’s about him processing the grief of losing his father and becoming his own person.

At the beginning of my other work in progress, “Continental Divides,” one protagonist has already been training for four years and works in a gym and the other already has two badges. The story begins this late into each of their journeys because this is when they meet. When necessary, the reader learns how they’ve each grown and changed since they first set out from home through flashbacks and interactions with other characters. Their pasts do affect why they care about certain people and places, but the story is mostly about the choices they make after they meet.

Similarly, In “[Freezing Point](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12795582/1/Freezing-Point)”[� by An Author](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12795582/1/Freezing-Point)’[s Pen](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12795582/1/Freezing-Point), the protagonist is already champion of the Hoenn League at the start of the story, and her desire to prove herself beyond that point is what starts the initial conflict. If we knew her past at the outset of the story, it would actually take away from the emotional turning point at the climax, which hinges on her remembering something in the moment.

Growth can begin at any point in the story, but change is what drives drama.


	8. Starting with a Character Concept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character 4/10

**4\. Starting with a Character Concept**

Sometimes we’re inspired to start writing about a character before we know what their goals are. It’s totally fine if you don’t start with a goal in mind for your character (although you’ll have a much harder time if you don’t invent one for them eventually). Writing what you’re excited about helps ensure you have the motivation to finish your story, so you should absolutely go for what’s interesting to you.

Selecting a unique concept will make your story stand out, but how do you know which ideas are unique? Spend some time researching what’s already been written—read! For a start, check out [this list](https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/11834/143321678/1/Pokemon-sorted-most-to-least-by-number-of-stories-that-used-them-as-a-character) of the most commonly used pokemon in FanFiction.net stories. Are you surprised by the top ten? Are any of your favorites missing?

Maybe you start with an idea you’re excited about only to learn that five other people have already written about it. Well, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that there are only so many different types of stories out there: _Romeo and Juliet_ is hardly the only story about a forbidden romance, nor is it the first. The good news is that no two writers will approach the same material in the same way._ Romeo and Juliet, Brokeback Mountain,_ and Holly Black’s _The Cruel Prince_ are all essentially stories of forbidden romance, but they’re unique stories, each enjoyable in their own right and for different reasons.

All you have to do is figure out how to add your own twist.Sometimes a twist is very simple: your unique voice, the way you tell a story and the things you care about, can be a twist all by itself. In other cases, you’ll need a little more.

> _Example one:_
> 
> Is making an adaptation of _Romeo and Juliet_ that stars Ash and Misty an original idea? By itself, no, probably not anymore. I’d be very surprised to learn that hasn’t been done yet. You could write it anyway, but you might have trouble catching the attention of others with it because they’ll have already read similar stories.
> 
> What if instead the Romeo and Juliet-inspired situation is part of a dream state that a hypno has trapped them in and, as they race to change the ending of the story, they’re also racing to get out of the dream before hypno devours their very souls? Now it’s something different. It’s still not going to appeal to every reader, but it likely will appeal to folks who have already read all the other Romeo and Juliet reboots and want something similar but fresh.
> 
> _Example two:_
> 
> Let’s look at a pokemon who has been declared overused and therefore out-of-bounds by some members of the community. There are many, but we’ll use eevee as our example. If it’s your favorite pokemon, who cares what the critics say? Let’s find a way to use it in a new way or add a new perspective. There are so many stories out there about watching a new trainer try to rise through the ranks with their precious eevee given to them by Professor Oak, or rescued from an abusive trainer, etc. However, I can’t think of any stories in which an already established, successful trainer chooses to use an unevolved eevee on their team. I can’t think of any in which a Rocket steals someone’s eevee, intending to sell it, only to feel too guilty and end up giving it back in secret. I can’t think of any in which a local ecosystem is threatened because too many trainers have released their eevee into the wild while breeding their prize pokemon for the perfect offspring.

Perhaps each of those stories _does_ already exist somewhere, but they’re less common than others, and surely there are still ways you could tweak your story to make it different enough to stand out. What I’m trying to say is that if we have a problem with stories about new trainers journeying with eevee as their starter, the eevee is perhaps not the biggest problem in that trope.

Writers scold each other for using an “unoriginal” idea, when really what they meanis “an idea that’s not interesting to me.” If someone doesn’t like your idea about Ash and Misty as Romeo and Juliet with a hypno twist or if they don’t like the execution, that’s a separate conversation. But their disinterest doesn’t mean it’s not an original idea.

That said, be sure that your twist is more than just changing names, because otherwise it’s plagiarism. To figure out if your twist is significant enough, ask yourself whether the course of the story or our understanding of the characters is significantly changed because of it. If the plot is basically the same and the characters are basically the same, it’s not a twist yet.

> > _Example one:_ A story in which Ash travels Kanto except with an eevee instead of a pikachu but literally every other plot point is the same and he’s still the same naive ten-year-old who’s determined to be the very best like no one ever was.

No. The eevee is just a cosmetic change.

> _Example two:_ Ash sets out with his eevee and everything is going great, but something feels wrong. Ash’s run at the Indigo League goes awry as he begins to unravel time and space to try to get back to his true intended partner, his pikachu.

Yes. The main preoccupation here is the warping between two realities and Ash’s attempt to reunite with pikachu, and that’s going to create some scenarios that never came up in the canon. Here the eevee might be an obstacle to Ash’s pikachu reunion, or it might become an unlikely ally, but, either way, it’s not simply a new name pasted over an existing role.

> **Writing challenge:** **Reinvigorate a cliche. **  
Think of something that has been completely overused in writing, whether it’s a turn of phrase, a plot structure, or a character. What could you do with it that hasn’t been done before? What details would make it feel more believable for you? (How can you embellish with tangible details from the real world?) Write a scene of five hundred words or more that takes a new perspective on something that’s been done a million times.

**A note of caution: it takes more work to make something new from an idea that’s already been thoroughly explored.** Just because an idea is technically original doesn’t mean it’s an interesting idea to others. Luckily, if you like to write, odds are good you’ve got an imagination. See what else you can come up with.

To help get your juices flowing, **here are a few character ideas you might never have thought to try:**

  * _A trainer who is confined to a wheelchair_  
Has the pokemon world invented special wheelchairs for off-roading, or perhaps hoverchairs? Does this trainer instead keep to the city where there are sidewalks and elevators, perhaps as a gym trainer or contest coordinator? Could they get around on the back of a gogoat or with the help of a psychic type? What unexpected talents do they have, either because of or completely separately from the disability they live with? What special challenges do they face? What kinds of discrimination do they face, and how do they respond?
  * _A pokemon you don’t like at all_  
What could you change to make that pokemon more interesting to you? What is it like in the wild? How does it interact with humans? What if it were a villain of your story? What if it were your trainer’s starter? What kind of trainer would love this pokemon? What would it take to make an initially uninterested character grow to love this pokemon?
  * _Someone of a different profession_  
What other careers might exist in the pokemon world besides trainer, pokemon researcher, pokemon nurse, police officer, or member of an evil team? How do they interact with pokemon? How do they interact with trainers? Why didn’t they become a trainer, and do they regret it? How would they respond in a crisis without a trained pokemon to aid them? (For an example, check out “DNA” by Umachica on FanFiction.net. It’s abandoned, but it follows the experience of a rancher. Similarly, “Clipping” by Act is abandoned but includes an interesting perspective from a tourist visiting the Ruins of the Alph with deadly consequences.)   
  
Or, if you’re writing PMD: what other jobs or roles might be available besides being a member of an exploration team? Is there a reason they never joined an exploration team? How do they interact with other pokemon? Why are they the one filling this role? Is there a role that only they can fill?
  * _An elderly trainer_  
How long have they been training? What has made them continue training? What life opportunities did they pass up to keep training? OR, what made them decide to start training now, and what prevented them from starting sooner? How do they deal with health problems on the road? What has changed about pokemon training since their youth?
  * _A devout Muslim trainer (or other non-Christian religion)_  
How might prayer or fasting affect their journey? What typical trainer practices might be considered haram? What pokemon might be seen as favorable for a person of faith, and which would be inappropriate? Does their faith accept training, or has something made them start a journey in spite of opposition from the community?

> **Writing Challenge:** **Write a scene about one or two of these character ideas that interest you. **
> 
>   
If you’re not sure where to start, write about them preparing to a host a guest in their own space. What are three things they must attend to first? Are they nervous, excited? How can you show their emotional state through their actions? What objects do they have in their homes?
> 
>   
Then write about them entering another space, either someone else’s home or a gym. What are three things they notice in that room?


	9. Notes of Caution: The Sliding Scale from Bad Self-Insert to Appropriation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character 5/10

**5\. Notes of Caution: The Sliding Scale from Bad Self-Insert to Appropriation**

One of the shrillest voices in the broader writing community demands _write what you know._ The idea is that you can write what you already know about with much more accuracy and, dare I say, heart. The other implication of this credo is _stay in your lane._

Both points have some validity. Each of us is an expert of our own life. And it’s not hard to find examples of someone trying to write about a group they’re not part of and completely mismanaging it. They might even harm the members of that group without meaning to. One obvious example is when white writers portray black characters in stereotypical, racist ways. I love _A Song of Ice and Fire_, but the depiction of people of color in the series is very one-dimensional and disappointing. There many are examples of similar stereotyping of any marginalized group you can name, whether it’s the misrepresentation of women, religious minorities, trans people, indigenous people, or people living with disabilities.

However, I hardly think stereotyping is the inevitable outcome of trying to write stories about people who are different from ourselves. For example, the depiction of Dolores Price in _She’s Come Undone_ was so convincing that I had to check several times that the writer was actually a man. If men can convincingly write female characters, I think that white folks have the capacity to write well-rounded black characters, straight folks have the capacity to write complex queer characters, and people without disabilities can write about characters who do have disabilities. After all, empathy is one of the most imaginative exercises we perform every day, and what’s a writer without their imagination. Writers just have to do the work, which means lots of research (and reading stories by diverse authors).

There are many online resources for this kind of thing, but the crux of most of them is this: your characters’ racial identity, sexual orientation, gender, and abilities shape who they are and what they want. If they’re not treated well because of who they are, that also shapes who they are and what they want. Their story should reflect that. Their story should also reflect that the way others see them is only part of who they are and what they want from the world. Writers also have to recognize that the world needs stories by all kinds of writers. For example, a white writer creating a well-rounded black character is not a replacement for _stories by black people._

On the opposite end of the spectrum, though equally shrill, is the contingent who warns us away from “self-insert” as bad writing. This is a misleading criticism. All good writing is self-insertion, because any good writer puts something of themself into each character.

The real problem is characters who are stand-ins for the writer but with only the positive traits included or with unrealistically good outcomes for these characters in spite of supposed flaws. The solution here is not to be afraid to make the characters choose poorly, deal with appropriate consequences, and then face obstacles as they continue forward.


	10. More Character Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character 6/10

**6\. More Character Questions**

The questions that follow might help you generate interesting conflicts for your characters to stumble into. Some questions might be relevant to one story but not another. For example, your character’s fear of spiders is most interesting if his knee-jerk response to seeing a spinarak is to scream run away, which is **a setback in his goal** of impressing his love interest during the bug-catching contest at the national park. It’s less interesting if it’s just another detail thrown in as padding.

  * What is your character’s ethical code? (What tempts them to break it? Or, what do they put in danger to maintain it?)
  * What is your character’s worst fear?
  * What does your character do frequently that other people normally wouldn’t?
  * Who does your character love or respect?
  * What does your character want to change about themself?
  * How much agency do they think they have and how much do they believe they are controlled by fate?
  * What are their habits?
  * What are their beliefs?
  * What are their skills and talents?
  * What are their insecurities?
  * Do they have any secrets?

The last question you’ll likely want to consider is what does this character look like? We’ll explore that question in detail next.


	11. Saving Face: Describing Characters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character 7/10

**7\. Saving Face: Describing Characters**

Especially when we think of our own original characters, we often imagine first what they look like. It’s important. Appearances affect how characters see and treat each other, reveal something of the character’s personality, and can even set tone for the story. However, describing characters physically is also one of the things that new writers overdo.

Let’s take a look at a sample from a fic I wrote in the early 2000’s.

> Just as May was getting ready to grab _Basic Pokemon in Hoenn_ out of the trashcan and continue reading, a boy who looked about her age jumped out of the back of the moving van. He had spiky, snowy white hair, which was kept out of his face with a black headband with a red pokeball design on it. His impossibly bluer-than-blue cerulean eyes glanced over Littleroot Town skeptically and his arms were lazily crossed over his chest as he stood out on the lawn. He wore a red long-sleeved shirt with strips of black along the sleeves and down the front and a stiff yellow collar. His black pants ended in yellow cuffs that partially covered his red and black sneakers. Concluding the outfit was a pair of fingerless yellow gloves on his hands with a stripe of blue across the knuckles.

Grammatically, there are no problems here. But it’s boring. Pokemon fans almost certainly already know what Brendan’s clothes look like—there is already an official illustration from Gamefreak—and don’t need the clinical, obsessive description of them. Probably we could also do without the _impossibly bluer-than-blue cerulean eyes_—it’s redundant and hard to believe. How blue can one pair of eyes be? (Unless this is a crossover with Frank Herbert’s _Dune_, I guess. It wasn’t, though.)

If I were writing this story today in 2019, I might write it something more like this:

> Through her bedroom window, May watched a boy clamber out of the back of the moving van, his legs wobbling on the landing. _They made him ride in the back_? He looked ready to enter a triathlon, all spandex and mesh. A trainer then, or someone who was dying to become one.For a moment, he took in Littleroot Town with wide eyes, just a kid in a foreign country. And then he leaned back against the side of the van and folded his arms. She watched his mask of cool indifference slide into place, like he knew someone was watching and judging. But there was still that hair, which was its own kind of vulnerability—he had gone prematurely gray. It was strangely striking.

I tried to stick to the spirit of what I’d written before: the attempt to look cool and disaffected, the clothes, the hair, her curiosity. However, this version gives more information about both him and May through her noticing his vulnerability, where before most of what we got was the color of his eyes. We also get to see Brendan moving and changing his body in response to what he sees, where before he seemed to move simply to create an excuse for me to describe different parts of the body.

The second version is almost certainly better. However, whether it’s _good_ still depends on the context of the rest of the story. Is this character important, or does the description put too much focus on a side character and slow the story’s flow? Does the emphasis on attempts to mask vulnerability foreshadow future conflict? Does it match the tone of the rest of the chapter and the rest of the story overall?

**Here are a few wonderful character descriptions from mainstream literature to chew over:**

> Lord Asriel was a tall man with powerful shoulders, a fierce dark face, and eyes that seemed to flash and glitter with savage laughter. It was a face to be dominated by, or to fight: never a face to patronize or pity. All his movements were large and perfectly balanced, like those of a wild animal, and when he appeared in a room like this, he seemed a wild animal held in a cage too small for it.
> 
> \- Philip Pullman, _The Golden Compass_
> 
> Tall and rather thin but upright, the Director advanced into the room. He had a long chin and big rather prominent teeth, just covered, when he was not talking, by his full, floridly curved lips. Old, young? Thirty? Fifty? Fifty-five? It was hard to say.
> 
> \- Aldous Huxley, _Brave New World_
> 
> Without the coat, her body had a lean look to it — as if she worked too long, and ate too little or too poorly. Her gloves and tall brown boots were caked with the filth of the plant, and she was wearing pants like a man. Her long, dark hair was piled up and back, but two shifts of labor had picked it apart and heavy strands had scattered, escaping the combs she'd used to hold it all aloft.
> 
> \- Cherie Priest, _Boneshaker_

Keep in mind: you don’t always need to write long character descriptions. The fewer traits you name, the more each is amplified. Certain traits also immediately bring in lots of other information. Consider this character:

> Luke flashed a smile. His teeth were straight and white and clean.

Worded like that, he must have astonishingly nice teeth. Maybe _too_ nice—the effect is a little eerie, maybe predatory. It might also imply that he has money for dental work or might be a bit of a perfectionist. All it would take to drive the point home on any of those fronts is a bit of well-targeted dialogue.

Here’s another example:

> The first thing you noticed about Izzy was her hair, coarse and wild. It dissuaded you from looking hard at her. She almost seemed to dissolve into it.

Simple character descriptions are especially handy for side characters, where brevity makes a single trait memorable and easy to distinguish in a callback. Think of Fox Face in _The Hunger Games_ or the spy with a nose like a parsnip in _The Cruel Prince_—their physical description is their name.

> **Writing Challenge**:** If you could describe only _one_ of your character’s physical traits, which would it be?**
> 
> Do they have a prominent tattoo? Heavy eyebrows? Dark bags under their eyes? Dirt under the nails?
> 
> **Bonus Challenge**: **Describe them again, but this time only describe movement. **
> 
> How do they carry themselves—a distinctive walk, impeccable posture? Do they smile like they always have a secret, like it’s picture day, or like they’re embarrassed of their teeth? Do they talk with their hands, bite their nails?

If you find that all of your characters are starting to look too similar or if you’re not sure which details you could add to make them feel more authentic … borrow from authentic people. What kind of laugh does your best friend have? What kind of nose does your math teacher have? How does your next-door neighbor enter a room? You do want to be careful about copying people from real life too carefully, especially if you think they might read your story, but you’re allowed to take inspiration from a trait here or there.

Many times I’ve taken inspiration from my friends and members of my community to anchor a character. Usually, my characters become a patchwork of several real-life people.

Some examples:

I want my rendition of Magma’s Maxie to be cold and calculating without reducing him to a cartoon villain, so when I write about him I think of my favorite professor from my undergrad. My professor has this maddening, knowing smirk that can either make you feel tiny or like you’re in on the joke with him. He speaks slowly with precise language and asks a lot of pointed questions to let you dig yourself into a hole—A_re you sure about that? Why else do you think that might be?_ He’s different from Maxie in a lot of ways (he’s a father of three, not an eco-terrorist) but comparing Maxie’s behavior to his is a grounding point. Would my professor laugh maniacally and monologue about his evil plan? No, he’s too controlled and too smart. He would raise an eyebrow at you and let you tire yourself out trying to get answers out of him.

In “Spring,” Chris has a brief battle with a trainer who is an exact copy of one of my friends, but probably no one but me would recognize him. Modeling that unnamed trainer on someone I know well made it easy to make quick decisions about what kinds of pokemon he would choose and how he would respond in a situation rather than spending time trying to sort out one “best” answer. I even added that he planned to work on a farm, which is how my friend spent his summer in real life. That detail also adds a little texture to the rest of the story, creating a sense that the world I’m building extends beyond just the “sets and props” needed to tell my main characters’ story.

> **Writing challenge**: **Write a scene where your main character battles a trainer inspired by one or more of your friends.**
> 
> Write a scene where your main character battles a trainer inspired by one or more of your friends. Which pokemon would they pick, and how would they interact with them? What are their most distinctive physical traits? Are they bad at lying—what gives them away?—or good at tricking you? What kinds of words do they use? Do they talk quickly? What annoying habits do they have? What do they always carry with them? What’s the first thing you tell someone about them?


	12. Networking: Secondary Characters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character 8/10

**8\. Networking: Secondary Characters**

Speaking of friends ….

As much as physical appearances are often overdone, relationships with other characters are often overlooked, especially in a romance story. In real life, if your beloved had no other friends or family connections it would be a huge red flag! Real people usually have those. Friends and family may only come into the story in flashbacks depending on the genre of your story—probably your characters will be very busy dealing with all those challenges you’ve created for them. But even a remark in passing can add richness that makes your characters more believable.

If you’re having trouble deciding what kinds of supporting characters would be best in your story, think about what kind of story you want to tell and what types of details you’ll need to focus on to tell that story.

You can also think of your own life. **Who are the three people who have most shaped you as a person? **For me, growing up, it was a girl who was my friend and rival, a boy who was my crush and another rival, and my dad. I can think of specific interactions I had with each that changed my expectations about people, who I thought I could trust, and what I wanted from life. Thinking of my life today, I could easily name three different people who have shaped the course of my adult life and career. The point is that none of us exists in a vacuum.

> **Writing challenge:** **Write a scene in which your character argues with a parent or parental figure.**
> 
> The argument can be about anything except their decision to leave home to become a trainer/join an adventuring team.

Even if the scene you write for the above exercise never makes it into your story, it might be useful for you to have in your notes. If you haven’t figured out your character’s goal yet, it might help to do so now.

> **Writing challenge**: **Write a scene in which two characters with history have a battle.**
> 
> Decide on a history for these two characters. Are they ex-lovers? Did they grow up together? Did one ruin the reputation of the other? Use the events in the battle to show some of that history, **but don’t explain directly what happened in the past.**
> 
> Consider: how friendly is this match? What tone of voice would these characters use towards each other? What would they notice about how each other’s pokemon have changed over time? How does stress affect your character during a battle? Did they learn something from the other trainer that they are now using against them?

**More questions about your character’s friends and family**:

  * Who does your character turn to when bad things happen?
  * Who was the first person they ever loved or thought they loved?
  * Do they have many acquaintances or just a handful of close friends?
  * If they truly have no real friends (either because of a personality flaw or because they’ve recently moved), who do they interact with on a daily basis? (The mailman? The woman who works at the bakery where they buy breakfast every Sunday? The neighbor’s aged, one-eyed arcanine—ignoring the neighbor himself?)
  * Do they have connections through school or work? (Bosses, co-workers, teachers, classmates, church leaders, block captains?)
  * Do they have roommates or travel companions? Former roommates or former travel companions?

> **Writing challenge**: who are your character’s heroes?
> 
> Their heroes might be real people, like a mentor or a famous public figure who the character looked up to as a child, or they might be mythical or folk heroes. Write either a scene where your character was inspired by their hero or a folktale that children in this world know well.
> 
> Then, **write a second scene** where your character has an experience that undermines the teachings of their hero or puts their hero in a bad light.

Keep in mind that supporting characters should have their own goals and motivations—even if they don’t play a prominent role in the story. Those goals may or may not align with the main characters’ agenda. If you’re not sure if a minor character’s response to your main character is realistic, **ask yourself what they might want from the situation and whether their action reflects that.** For example, if your main character’s best friend only exists to encourage them in their romantic pursuits, they’re never going to be anything more than a prop, even if you tack on the fact that they like basketball and hot sauce. 

Pitting your side characters against the main character in small or petty ways is one way to keep them from feeling like inanimate accessories for the main character. For one example, look at season three of _Stranger Things_. Will’s desire to play D&D with his friends and frustration with their lack of interest keeps him from becoming redundant in the scenes where Mike and Lucas bemoan their relationship trouble. They’re ultimately in the same fight against The Upside-Down, but the fact that he and his friends have different priorities outside of that makes them feel real and distinct from each other.

Let your side characters be unavailable or disinterested when the main character needs them most. Let them betray the main character, or make them want something in return before they help. They may want simpler things than your main character, or you may tell us what they want in summaries more often than you explore what they want in-depth with a scene, but your side characters do still want things.

For inspiration check out at this list of **“one hundred instincts”** used for creating quick non-player characters in the game Dungeon World:

  1. To avenge
  2. To spread the good word
  3. To make money
  4. To reunite with a loved one
  5. To make amends
  6. To locate a lost thing
  7. To uncover a hidden truth
  8. To explore a mysterious place
  9. To kill a hated foe
  10. To craft a masterwork
  11. To cure an illness
  12. To conquer a faraway land
  13. To survive just one more day
  14. To earn affection
  15. To prove a point
  16. To be smarter, faster & stronger
  17. To heal an old wound
  18. To evangelize
  19. To spread suffering
  20. To extinguish an evil forever
  21. To hide from a shameful fact
  22. To prove worth
  23. To rise in rank
  24. To be praised
  25. To discover the truth
  26. To make good on a bet
  27. To get out of an obligation
  28. To convince someone to do "dirty work"
  29. To steal something valuable
  30. To overcome a bad habit
  31. To commit an atrocity
  32. To save someone from a monstrosity
  33. To earn renown
  34. To accumulate power
  35. To teach
  36. To get just one more haul
  37. To preserve the law
  38. To settle down
  39. To discover
  40. To restore the family name
  41. To devour
  42. To live a quiet life
  43. To help others
  44. To prove their worth
  45. To atone
  46. To gain a title
  47. To expand their land
  48. To retreat from society
  49. To gain honor
  50. To escape
  51. To return home
  52. To reclaim what was taken
  53. To party
  54. To serve
  55. To be a champion
  56. To do what must be done
  57. To avoid notice
  58. To perfect a skill
  59. To not screw it all up
  60. To help a family member
  61. To travel
  62. To play the game
  63. To establish a dynasty
  64. To overcome a disadvantage
  65. To retire
  66. To be careful
  67. To improve the realm
  68. To recover a lost memory
  69. To battle
  70. To raise dragons
  71. To live up to expectations
  72. To become a terror to criminals
  73. To show kindness
  74. To be forgotten
  75. To do what can’t be done
  76. To be remembered in song
  77. To indulge
  78. To find true love
  79. To lose their mind
  80. To make the best of it
  81. To find the one
  82. To show them all
  83. To destroy an artifact
  84. To bring about unending summer
  85. To fly
  86. To entertain
  87. To find the six-fingered man
  88. To wake the ancient sleepers
  89. To entertain
  90. To follow an order
  91. To uncover the past
  92. To die gloriously
  93. To hate
  94. To live forever
  95. To spill blood
  96. To go where none has gone before
  97. To run away
  98. To do good
  99. To become a beast
  100. To hunt the most dangerous game


	13. Talk About Writing Dialogue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character 9/10

**9\. Talk About Writing Dialogue!**

Sometimes, it’s best to tell the reader things about your characters directly. He was tall. She was known by all to be a shameless gossip. They hated loud noises. Other times, showing what a character is like through their actions has a higher impact. A great way to share about a character indirectly is through their words, either spoken aloud or their internal monologue. In this section I’ll talk about both.

_A. Dialogue_

Dialogue is a critical way for characters to share information with each other. It might be backstory—“You might not know this, since you’re not from around here, but no one goes into that old mine.” It might be insight into another character—“She’s got a horrible temper. Saw her throwing things when she lost a match once.” Almost anything is fair game as long as your characters aren’t telling each other things they both already know just for the sake of the reader, because it comes off as stiff and boring.

No matter what your characters are saying, how they say it is just as important as what they’re saying. Some things to keep in mind about a character’s speaking style are **vocabulary, voice description, and dialogue tags.**

Vocabulary is a great way to set characters apart from each other and to tip the reader off to their background. Imagine a line of trainers in an urban coffee shop. One asks for a “ venti mochaccino with two pumps of caramel”—how do you imagine that character might dress compared to a trainer who asks simply for cold brew? Another takes a whiff of their drink and says, “Mmm, bean juice.” Do you imagine they’re older or younger than the previous trainers? Serious or silly? A third trainer says to their friend, “Nothing like a good cup of Joe to getcha ready for the day.” How old do you think that character is? Are they uptight or relaxed? There’s no one answer to any of these questions, but it’s easy to imagine that these are different people and that they speak differently.

As with anything, you should be careful not to overdo it. Yes, a scientist is likely to have a wider vocabulary than a street urchin, but if every other sentence they’re talking about “the equilibrium of the socio-economic state” and “recalibrating hypotheses,” your scientist will come off as cartoonish and possibly dissuade your readers from continuing. Yes, a shy character may stutter and say “um” a lot more than another character, but too many instances of it will become annoying and tedious. Dialogue in fiction should imitate the way people talk in real life, but a stripped-down version of it. It should always be interesting and either telling us something about a character or moving the story forward.

_Hot tip: Read your story aloud, especially dialogue, to test whether it sounds natural._

Some of the most controversial vocabulary choices have to do with cursing. Your use of expletives has just as much to do with character development as it does for tone. Obviously, a Team Rocket thug is more likely to curse than a pokecenter nurse, but just because you have a rocket doesn’t mean you get to drop F-bombs left and right. (Unless you’re The Great Nathaniel Morgan.) Too many might take away the impact of the word or, at worst, makes you sound childish.

For a light-hearted story, it might be less disruptive to the tone to say instead, “the rocket shouted a stream of curses that set the young trainer’s whismur screaming.” You can also invent your own expletives to add richness to your world. In Cutlerine’s “Tide and Time,” a fanfic set hundreds of years after Kyogre flooded the world, characters mutter _‘sflukes_ under their breath. (As in _Kyogre’s flukes_, inspired by the Old English curse ‘sblood, as in _Christ’s blood_.) I also love Captain Haddock from Tintin, who is fond of shouting things like, “Blistering blue barnacles!” and “Lily-livered bandicoots! Turncoats! Slubberdegullions!”

In a gritty or grimdark rendition of the pokemon world, on the other hand, made-up curses or avoiding curse words might sound silly and distracting. When it’s absolutely called for, use harsh language! That’s why it exists. Just remember that the F-word especially has a much higher impact on the page than it does in everyday spoken language. Use it like chili oil: with care and intention.

Some writers also like to use eye dialect, or non-standard spelling in dialogue that draws attention to pronunciation, usually used to denote a character’s class or a regional accent. For examples, check out the Redwall series or books set in the American South. You might use eye dialect to show that a character is slurring their words from tiredness, drunkenness, talking with their mouth full, or being punched in the face. Or perhaps you have a character who’s a question talker? You know? Where every sentence ends up sounding like a question? Eye dialect is playful and expressive, but can also be hard to read. Again, be careful not to overdo it.

If you don’t want to resort to going off-road with spelling to show how your characters talk, descriptions outside of dialogue can go a long way. For example, you might have a villain whose word choices are fairly mundane but whose slow speaking style and dead-eyed stare make them unnerving. They might have a gravelly voice, a falsetto, a soft voice, or a nasal intonation. These types of descriptions are especially important for dialogue over phones or when the speaker is hidden from view for other reasons. Even if we’ve never seen the mysterious hotline caller in person, reminding the reader of her lisp will help them put two-and-two together when we finally meet her in person during the finale.

Often paired with descriptions of how characters talk are dialogue tags, the words on either side of dialogue that let you know who is speaking. Dialogue tags can be weirdly controversial, so I want to clear the air: there are appropriate moments for using _said_, and there are appropriate moments for using adverbs. Neither is forbidden or wrong. The goal when using dialogue tags should be to keep clear who is saying what and to emphasize how the words are being said.

Let’s look at some examples:

> “I don’t care,” he said coldly. “Do what you want.”
> 
> “I don’t care,” he said, smiling. “Do what you want.”
> 
> “I don’t care,” he snapped. “Do what you want.”
> 
> “I don’t care,” he laughed. “Do what you want.”

All of these are fine. In each case, the tone changes dramatically because of the dialogue tags. Again, they exist for a reason—use them! Once again, the problem comes not from using them at all but from overusing them. Sentence variety keeps readers engaged. You’ll also want to be careful that your tags add information the dialogue itself does not already convey. Check out this example:

> “I can’t stand it!” she shouted angrily.

We already know she’s shouting, thanks to the exclamation point, and her words already sound angry by themselves. In this case, the dialogue tags bog the story down with redundancy. You can cut them off without losing information.

Dialogue tags and other descriptions included in between do more than just showing the reader how something is being said. They also keep the speakers from becoming faceless blobs floating in a void. If the conversation is long, readers might need to be reminded every so often who is saying what and that they exist in space. As they’re speaking, a character might rip out strands of grass or be momentarily distracted by a bird flying overhead. Give your readers something tangible to hold onto every so often—but keep it relevant to the moment at hand.

Another important reason to use dialogue tags is to slow the reader’s eye and create the feeling of a brief lull without having to always use ellipses or write “he paused.”

An example:

> “If it’s that important to you,” I said, “then I guess we have no choice.”
> 
> Vs.
> 
> I said, “If it’s that important to you then I guess we have no choice.”

_B. Internal Monologue_

One of the benefits of writing (especially in contrast with film and television) is the ability to get inside a character’s head and hear exactly what they’re thinking, which is called their internal monologue. Like dialogue, internal monologue can be used with or without tags.Tags can offer clarity when needed, but the fewer tags, the more the thought is emphasized and can seem to reverberate.

Below are some examples of how tags are formatted:

> He shook his head, watching her cross the gym floor with her leafeon trotting at her side. Fancy pokemon weren’t going to help her here. He’d show her.
> 
> He shook his head, watching her cross the gym floor with her leafeon trotting at her side. He thought, _Fancy pokemon aren’t going to help you here. I’ll show you._
> 
> He shook his head, watching her cross the gym floor with her leafeon trotting at her side. _Fancy pokemon aren’t going to help you here. I’ll show you._

Again, none of the above examples is more correct than the others. It all depends on how much emphasis you want to give the thought, how much the exact wording of the thought tells us about the character, and how much you want the thought to interrupt the flow of the description.

One cool way to use internal monologue is unreliable narration, which can demonstrate character, create conflict, or both. Perhaps character X is absolutely certain that character Y hates them, but at a different point in the story, we learn from character Y’s perspective that actually the opposite is true. One of the best examples of using unreliable narration well comes from _Game of Thrones_. For a shorter read, check out _The Cruel Prince_.

Like with dialogue, the key to using internal monologue well is balance and making sure not to be redundant.

Take a look at these examples:

> Mallory side-stepped a trubbish with a gasp and kicked it away. _Ew! What a gross pokemon._
> 
> Mallory side-stepped a trubbish with a gasp and kicked it away. _Burgh, you hippie!_ She was going to write him a formal complaint—another one. Twenty more. _The old gym leader kept things in check!_

In the first version, Mallory’s internal monologue doesn’t add much substance. Big surprise, she thinks a pokemon made of garbage is gross. The reader would get the same idea from her actions even if her thoughts were left out. The reader may even become bored and stop reading. You can trust your readers to be smarter than that.

The second version offers us Mallory’s relationship to another character, which we wouldn’t be able to learn about without her invoking his name.

Some writers use more internal monologue and others prefer less. Again, there is no one right answer because each writer has their own style.


	14. Two Heads are Better Than One?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character 10/10

**10\. Two Heads are Better Than One?**

When you’re excited about more than one character you’ve developed, and especially if you are writing in third-person, it can be tempting to try to give the reader all the thoughts that all of your characters are having. This is an example of head-hopping, when the point-of-view changes in the middle of a scene.

Your exposition should only include the details your perspective character would know about or notice, even in third-person. (For more on this, check out the section on setting and character.) Third-person omniscient can be an exception to this, but in that case, your narrator has to work almost like a character unto itself. In The Great Gatsby, the narrator is an actual character, but one who’s mostly removed from the story. Terry Pratchett and Douglass Adams both have disembodied narrators, but their humor is consistent, not favoring any one character too heavily or taking on the tone of any one character. When you mostly follow one character closely and then bounce to another character for one or two paragraphs only to bounce back again, it feels like an error.

I’ll never say never—one could argue that stream of consciousness writers like the beloved Virginia Wolfe and Faulkner do nothing but head hop. Usually, however, it’s not a good idea for two reasons:

First, head-hopping confuses the reader. The story becomes less clear, meaning the reader has to pause to sort things out and may become bored. Sticking to one focus character per scene is best practice for an easy reading experience.

Second, head-hopping can lower the stakes for a scene. Feeling close to one character makes the reader invested in that character’s choices and mistakes. Trying to focus on more than one character at once makes it much harder to get close to a character. Not knowing the true thoughts or feelings of another character in the scene can also be a source of tension that moves the story forward.

Having more than one character tell the story isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It might be the best way to give the reader new information or show a character’s arc. If you do choose to include more than one point of view character in your story, it’s best to wait until the end of a scene or chapter to do so. You may also want to indicate somehow which character is in focus, perhaps by putting their name under the chapter title.

And how should you decide which character should be the perspective character for a scene? I usually decide by asking myself questions, as usual: Who has the most to lose in this scene? Are there any critical beats that could only be fully experienced fully from the perspective of one character? Would one character have a unique or surprising perspective on this scene? Is something lost by not writing from this character’s perspective?

> **Writing challenge:** **Take a passage you’ve already written and rewrite it from the perspective of another character.**
> 
> For an extra challenge, write it from the perspective of a villain.

Now that we’ve discussed main characters and taken a broader look at the community of minor characters surrounding them, let’s look broader still and explore setting.


	15. Creating Settings and Worlds: How Much Do You Need to Explain the World?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting 1/6

**VI. Creating Settings and Worlds**

Setting includes places, technologies, and weather of your world, but it’s not limited to just those things. Handled correctly, your setting can become a character unto itself. That’s especially true for Man vs. Nature stories where most of the challenges arise from the environment, but is also true of other kinds of stories.

Consider how the geography of Westeros makes it difficult for characters to share information, creating opportunities for miscommunication and dark surprises. Or consider how its limited medical technology leads to character deaths.

Consider the opening line of William Gibson’s _Neuromancer_: _The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel_. That description of weather immediately tells you what kind of story you’re entering and sets the stage for more information about how environmental conditions affect quality of life.

Here I’ll share some strategies for creating settings that envelop the reader, using setting to drive plot, and how setting is a reflection of your characters.

* * *

**1\. How Much Do You Need to Explain the World?**

One of the biggest benefits of writing fanfic is that you don’t have to spend as much time explaining background information about places, characters, and even the world’s mechanics because it’s often common knowledge you and your audience already share. Readers are smarter than you might think and they likely know as much about the canon as you do (or more). For example, you don’t need to explain at the beginning of your story that Professor Oak is a famous pokemon researcher—we’ve all known that since 1996.

You might need to give the reader some backstory if your characterization of a character or place differs significantly from the canon. This is especially true for stories that use original characters and settings. However, diverging from the canon doesn’t give you license to info dump about your world’s history for six paragraphs. Large blocks of summarized information slow down the story and, if it comes at the very beginning, may bore your readers and prevent them from reading enough to find out what happens in this world you’re trying to describe. Even when the information is important to understanding the story, you need to ask yourself several questions to help you prioritize what information you share and when: Is this an interesting place to begin? Does the reader need this information right now, or can I introduce it later? Can I effectively convey this information in a scene, or do I need to clarify some parts with exposition? Can the reader infer what I mean, or will they be confused without further explanation?

One way to make sure your story is easy to understand from the start is to be conservative with jargon. For example, it might take some explaining for your readers to understand what a “flux capacitor” is, but they’ll understand things like, “It’s not working! It’s broken!” If a made-up word is critical to your plot, then go for it. But be sure that word means something specific and isn’t a throwaway. Be sure explaining what it means doesn’t slow down your story too much.

On the other hand, you also don’t want to neglect giving the readers critical information about your story and characters. Even if the plot is moving forward at a fast pace, readers will feel alienated by inscrutable characters or a world they can’t make sense of. A good approach to keep your story from feeling barren is to either tease future reveals or dribble in small bits of backstory. Foreshadowing and flashback done correctly can keep exposition from feeling like an info dump, making it instead flow smoothly with the story’s cause and effect.

For one example, let’s look at my story “Continental Divides.”

As I explained in the section about character arc, the story does not begin at the start of either of my protagonists’ journeys, but there’s a lot of backstory that influences their decisions. Natalie is eighteen at the start of the story, but there are important events in her life going back to age eight when her brother disappeared suddenly. Rather than explaining all at once about her family history, I scatter the information throughout the first chapter and expand on their memories together in a later chapter. When she thinks she’s being followed, Natalie remembers her paranoid, protective dad sending her new articles, which he does in response to his absent son. But she’s too busy dealing with her pursuer to linger on that thought too long—we keep moving forward in the present. The action slows down again when she walks into a bar to rest, and it reminds her of her brother again. She thinks about all the things she doesn’t know about him, reflecting on the few memories she does have, before a sudden noise reminds her where she is and she starts looking for a seat. When she finally sits, she enters into a conversation and finds herself explaining some of the things she admired about her brother. We never get more than three uninterrupted paragraphs about Natalie and her brother, and most often it’s only one or two at a time before we move on to something happening in real-time.

> **Writing challenge: move the backstory to another point in the story.**
> 
> Look at either one of your own drafts or someone else’s story. Find a passage in the first chapter that explains the character’s backstory or the world’s history. Move it to a later point in the story. Write a new passage where the backstory used to be that instead hints at the later reveal of this backstory or history. What objects or actions might symbolize the character’s past? How would the world’s history impact every day life? What trace evidence would the protagonists encounter in the first few chapters?


	16. Setting and Character

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting 2/6

**2\. Characters as Setting**

Even though this section is all about settings, it’s also _still_ about character. Everything, everything, everything is a reflection of character. Even if you’re writing in third person, what you choose to describe or to leave out reflects what your characters are noticing and what they think about it. For example, a well-traveled trainer might notice a perilously positioned boulder or the tracks of a large pokemon and take measures to avoid them, while a more naive trainer might be too distracted looking at flowers. In a crowd, a pickpocket might notice an unguarded backpack or someone watching them from a corner. An anxious character in the same crowd might be more aware of being jostled and of loud noises.

> **Writing challenge**:** Write two different versions of a trainer approaching a new town.**
> 
> One version should have a happy-go-lucky character and the other a cynical character. Or, write one version about a trainer who’s been to this town before and a second version about a trainer who’s never been there before. What does each notice about the town? What does each see that the other doesn’t? Don’t use internal monologue for this practice. Stick to observation and visible details.

If you’re someone who finds it challenging to write description, here are a few things to keep in mind: first, simple is okay. Clarity is more important than showing off how clever you are. Second, remember to stick with the outer world and be as specific as you can. Use your senses. Third, not all of your descriptions have to be adjectives, simile, and metaphor. You can also create a sense of space with litany, listing objects or sounds or even characters (more on that in a minute), which has an added benefit of establishing a rhythm.

In addition to being a reflection of a character’s point of view, setting can also be made up _of_ characters. Holly Black is one writer who loves to set a scene by describing all the background characters in the room and what they’re doing:

> The room itself was massive, so large that she wasn’t sure what was on the other side. Far across the room, what looked like a giant slouched near a dais. Each step seemed to push her in a new direction, full of splendors. A fiddler was playing an improbable instrument, with several necks and so many strings that he sawed his bow at them wildly. A long-nosed woman with freckles and ears like a jackal’s juggled pinecones. Three men with red hair and double rows of shark teeth dipped their caps in a pile of carnage, soaking up the blood. A huge creature with bat wings and limbs like stilts sat atop a table and lapped at a beaten copper bowl of cream. It hissed at Kaye as she passed it.
> 
> -Holly Black, _Tithe: A Modern Tale of Faerie_

Immediately, we can feel how strange and crowded the room is. The juxtaposition of friendlier and less friendly faces helps us feel how Kaye is both drawn in and repulsed. She gives barely any attention to the room itself in this passage. We don’t know the color of the walls, the number of floors, or whether there are chandeliers. But we don’t need to. She gives us lots of other compelling details that make the space feel both lived-in and distinct.

> **Writing challenge: Describe a room full of people.**
> 
> Pick a room, whether it’s the Mauville gym, a pokemart, or professor Oak’s lab. Describe what that room feels like, only describing the people and pokemon in it. What details can you add to make the room feel tense? What details can you add to create a silly, light-hearted mood in the room?

Character interactions also become setting when they reveal social and political structures. If you’re writing about a world where people no longer believe in legendary pokemon, that’s part of the setting. If Team Rocket exists in your story, they’re part of your setting.

When you write about a room or patch of wilderness, don’t forget to consider how it has been shaped by social structures. For example, are there cars? How do non-trainers travel between cities? How are cities protected from wild pokemon? What spaces are pokemon allowed in? Which spaces are friendly or unfriendly to trainers?

As Jeff Vandermeer explains in his writing guide, _Wonderbook_, one useful way to think about how a character enters a room (or how we the readers encounter the world at the beginning of a story) is to imagine an aperture opening. Start narrow,then widen your focus. In a story with fantastical or surreal elements, that might mean starting with more ordinary details as an anchoring point and expanding to the weirder parts as the story goes on. It might also mean making the chronology of your paragraph match the way your character enters the room: starting in the entranceway, then entering the hallway, then tripping over the boxes, then following the sound of voices into the main room, and finally walking up to so-and-so to shake their hand.

> **Take another look at the passage from the previous writing challenge where you described a room using only the people in it. What did you describe first? How does your mental image of the room change if you reorder the list of descriptions? Is there anything you’d change?**

Maintaining a sense of space is an important part of making character actions meaningful and easy to visualize. As Ron Carlson says in his writing guide Ron Carlson Writes a Short Story, you can’t always make a scene better but you can always make it colder. Sometimes, simply making a scene colder adds stakes that weren’t there before—the fear of hypothermia, a desire to get somewhere else sooner, an added consequence to a fire-type fainting. Having stakes also makes you accountable to the world you’ve built — remember, consistency! Making the room colder might remind you that, oh right, I’ve created a world where trainers struggle to earn money and make ends meet, so this is a time to show my trainer is struggling financially by writing that they wear a tattered coat. Even something as small as the temperature in the room can make a reader feel more connected to it and make your writing more believable.

Sense of space is important for any kind of scene, but in pokemon fan fiction it’s especially important in battle scenes. Obviously, different pokemon will do better on different kinds of terrain and different weather conditions. Battles are also a great opportunity to use your character’s senses to anchor the reader in a scene. What does a particular attack smell like? Can the trainer feel the heat of their pokemon’s attacks? Is the battlefield small enough for the trainers to mock each other, or is it impossible to hear each other over the noise their pokemon and the crowd are making?

> **Writing challenge:** **Write a scene in which the pokemon with a type disadvantage wins because its trainer successfully leverages the terrain to their advantage.**

We’ll talk about battles in more depth next.


	17. On Battles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting 3/6

**3\. On Battles**

In a pokemon story, battles are perhaps the type of scene that most interlinks character, setting, and the impacts of society on setting. They’re the moments when we see our characters meet a challenge and stand to lose something. They’re the moments when our characters try to cleverly use their surroundings to their advantage … or fail to do so. They’re the moments when characters are either following rules and conventions, exploiting them, or pushing their boundaries. They’re also _hard_ to write, and there aren’t a ton of examples of similar scenes in published fiction that I know of. A battle is almost never a simple affair, so we’ll explore in detail some tools to keep in mind and pitfalls to watch out for.

The two most common approaches to pokemon battles in fan fiction are game-style (sometimes includes the two sides taking turns, a limit to how many moves each pokemon can learn, etc.) and anime-style (more free-form but with an emphasis on dialogue during the battle). These are not the only two ways to handle a battle—and I’ll offer some alternatives in a moment—but they’re likely the ones you’ve already seen in fics.

The style you use is purely personal taste but should be consistent with how you characterize pokemon in your story. For example, an animal-like intelligence would be more consistent with a pokemon that can only remember four moves. A pokemon with human intelligence should be able to understand more. On the other hand, for a pokemon to understand something as complicated as, “Quick, climb up a tree!” shouted at them, they would have to be pretty smart. If your pokemon are intelligent enough to speak but your battles are also gritty and gory, I would also hope you make space for your character to confront that moral dilemma or hear out complaints from their team.

Regardless of the battle style you choose, the single most important thing to keep in mind about battles is _they are boring to read if the audience is not already invested in the characters or if it has no consequences_. Think about it: playing a pokemon game is fun because you are the main character and you get to make all the decisions for your team (and for some players it’s _still_ not that interesting by itself, so they play while watching TV). Watching the anime is only fun if you care about the characters and want to see them succeed. It’s no different in writing. Your readers (and you) will enjoy your battle scenes most when the stakes are high for a character they’ve gotten to know. And, of course, the best way the set high stakes for your characters is to give them goals and create obstacles to those goals.

As long as your battles are consistent with the rest of your world and how pokemon are represented, and as long as you’ve made your audience invested in the characters battling by setting high stakes for them, you won’t write bad battle scenes. If you want to write _great _battle scenes, here are some other factors to consider:

_Pacing_

All description slows down plot pacing and action. Every moment of writing is a negotiation between providing enough description for the reader to invest in the world while also avoiding slowing the action to an intolerable crawl. And that balance is particularly delicate in a battle scene. A battle should feel exciting and immediate. One thing that can help is to write shorter sentences. Another is to shorten battles.

Shortening sentences is easy for most writers, but there are a few common misconceptions I’d like to clear up. The first is that writing short sentences or using simple language is bad—not so. Remember, clarity is king. Especially in a scene with as many (literal) moving parts as a battle, keeping a scene easy to understand is more important than making it fanciful. Moreover, straining to use the most beautiful language possible has the potential of sounding pedantic and silly.

> **Examples**:
> 
> 1) Pushing one foot in front of the other, muscles tensing as his weight shifted, he perambulated across the linoleum threshold of the kitchen.
> 
> 2) He walked to the kitchen.

Also, remember that adding detail doesn’t demand including every single thing that could conceivably be present in the scene. If the crux of the scene is that your trainer’s flygon willfully ignores a command and thus saves its trainer’s life, we likely don’t need to hear about the smell of the grass even if it technically would be there. The last thing to keep in mind is that, although varying sentence length is also definitely a good thing, using several short sentences in a row can also create a rhythm that cranks up the intensity of a scene.

> **Examples**:
> 
> 1) Nauseated, Jerry watched in horror as the flygon reared up, sucked in a breath, and blasted the referee with green fire.
> 
> 2) The flygon reared up. She sucked in a breath. Jerry could only watch in horror as she blasted the referee with green fire. His stomach churned.

Shortening battles, on the other hand, is very much at odds with the anime-style of representing pokemon battles, and that’s because some anime storytelling conventions don’t serve fan fiction well. For example, in shows like _Naruto, Yugi-oh, Yu Yu Hakusho_, and of course _Pokemon_, a single battle might stretch across two or even three 30-minute episodes. With the written word, it’s a lot to ask your readers to get through a battle that spans multiple chapters. I’ve only seen a few instances of it being done well. Anime writers can get away with long battles like that because they can instead generate excitement with animation and voice acting. (And, if I’m being perfectly honest, long anime battles still aren’t terribly interesting to me.) With the written word, one of the biggest tools we have for making action feel fast and urgent is brevity.

Also keep in mind that, by slowing down battles and explaining each move and each pokemon slowly, The Pokemon Company fulfills other agendas that you don’t have to as a fanfic writer: they have to teach their audience about each pokemon so that, hopefully, you’ll buy merchandise of those pokemon. You don’t have to. They have to fill a predetermined amount of run time. You don’t. They have to cater to a young audience. You don’t. Just because a convention exists in canon doesn’t mean you’re obligated to copy it if it doesn’t fit your story—that’s why you’re writing fan fiction, so you can make the rules.

Lengthy battles can also be boring because it’s hard to sustain feelings of anticipation and excitement for a long time. Readers plateau and burn out. Shorter battles give readers space to cool down so they can be ramped back up for the next high-adrenaline battle.

You have a lot of control over how (and how much) you shorten your battles. It might mean simply cutting down or combining beats. Maybe instead of getting up against all odds for a third time and continuing the battle, the opponent’s shinx stays down after the second time and you move on to the next match-up. Maybe you summarize the first two battles and write about the third one at length because it’s the most important. Maybe the battle itself isn’t as important to the story as the conversation after, and you opt to summarize the entire thing.

> **Writing challenge: Take a long battle scene, either one you’ve written or one from a story you love, and summarize it in one paragraph.**
> 
> Then try summarizing it with one sentence.
> 
> Next, try the opposite. Write a sentence about a battle. Then expand that sentence into a paragraph. Then try to expand that paragraph into a scene.

The biggest enemies of fast-paced battle scenes are excessive banter between trainers and excessive internal monologue. I’m not saying you can’t have any at all—some might be necessary—but I am saying you need to be very careful not to include too much. You also shouldn’t need a whole lot of either in a battle scene anyway. Why?

The first reason is the best time to raise the stakes for a battle is usually before, not during. The battle itself is a time for reaction and consequence.

The second is that when you’re writing fan fiction you’re writing for people who are already familiar with the basics of the fandom. Unless you’re doing something super, super complicated, you don’t need to explain to your readers the effects of a move or a pokemon’s typing. None of those are things we need to watch a trainer puzzle through to understand what’s happening.

The third reason is that in a real-life physical altercation, things happen quickly. Our bodies use adrenaline to help us react faster than we can think. Athletes train so that muscle memory takes over when they perform and they don’t have to think. We don’t think to ourselves, “Okay, now I will punch him.” We just do it. Certainly, a trainer is more distant from the battle than their pokemon, so they do have more capacity to think about things than they would if they were the ones doing the fighting. And, certainly, reading and writing are both very cerebral activities, so we expect to read more of a character’s thoughts than might be realistic. All the same, you still might not need as much internal monologuing as you think.

There are, of course, exceptions to all of these! In Negrek’s fic, “Salvage,” banter between pokemon can be part of setting the stakes and showing character. A normally chatty character may wear down and fall quiet by the end of the fight. One character might verbally needle another in an attempt to unbalance them. The humor that arises from these interactions can break up Negrek’s marathon battles and some of the heavier passages. For the setting and tone of that story, it makes sense.

How much dialogue and internal monologue you include is ultimately a matter of personal taste. But when you do include it in your battles, be aware of the effect it has on the pace of the scene and use it intentionally.

Pacing also matters less when the battle matters less in the story. After all, not every single battle is for a badge or to save the world. If you’re writing a battle between two friends who are battling casually, not pushing themselves hard, you might not want the battle to feel tense or urgent, so clipped sentences wouldn’t benefit you.

_Instinct vs. Commands_

Something else to consider is how commands are given, which relates to both how intelligently you portray your pokemon and how much thinking you have your trainers do during a battle. Do pokemon know words like left and right? Do trainers use codewords or disguise commands to hamper their opponent’s reaction time? How independently can your pokemon act and make decisions without your trainer?

One command that always puzzles me is “dodge.” No matter how intelligent or well-trained a pokemon is, I think dodging should almost always be something they already know to try to do. If someone tries to hit you, ducking or flinching is a natural response. Not to do so would be much harder and unusual. To be able to command a pokemon to dodge implies something creepy to me: a trainer would have to completely break a pokemon’s will for it to default to standing there until given permission to dodge—as if having no thoughts or impulses of its own or having shut them out. That’s an icky thing to do to a smart creature that’s supposed to be your buddy. The exception is when the pokemon is being depicted as raging out and the trainer’s role is to tell them to switch tactics when they won’t do so on their own. “Salvage” is also full of moments like this.

I have also noticed a common tendency for a trainer to lose a battle because they lack knowledge and give poor commands (usually early in their journey to set up an arc where they learn to be a more competent trainer). Again, your readers know the fandom already and will almost always know that your trainer is making a bad call. There is no surprise for most readers in this, and it may even make readers less sympathetic to your trainer. While it’s not impossible to make a likable but ignorant trainer, I hardly think that the only way to make a character believably fallible is to make them stupider than your reader.

Giving commands requires leadership and communication. Someone might be very knowledgeable and yet lack skill in leadership, communication, or both. What would it look like for a trainer to fail because they don’t know how to communicate their commands properly? Think about what it’s like for someone to tell you how to drive from the passenger seat or watching over your shoulder as you play a game:

> It might be a high-strung trainer who verbally spams the same command over and over when their pokemon isn’t in a position to follow it: “Come on, vine whip vine whip vine whip!” But the bulbasaur hung motionless in the air, firmly caught in the alakazam’s attack.
> 
> It might be a failure to account for how slowly a big, heavy pokemon moves, commanding a change of direction too late. The pokemon’s momentum would carry it forward regardless of its attempts to heed the command.
> 
> It might be a trainer trying to assert a strategy on a pokemon that’s naturally inclined toward a different fighting style. For example, ramparados is notoriously a glass cannon. Even if it had a type advantage, any strategy that required it to take heavy hits would be destined to fail.
> 
> It might be a pokemon who was traded from another region and trained commands in a language your trainer doesn’t speak.
> 
> **Can you think of other reasons a trainer and their pokemon might not be on the same page?**

For examples of fights and conflict in mainstream fiction, here are a few places to look:

_Ender’s Game_ has several scenes of gamified, electronic-based fights between opposing teams of children. Orson Scott Card is a homophobic jerk in real life, but his scenes make good use of space and demonstrating character.

_Watership Down_ ends with a huge, emotional fight between opposing rabbit factions. Pay attention to how the stakes are set for each character and which moments are most tense.

_The Killer Angels_ is about the U.S. Civil War, so there are plenty of battles, but it's still relatively slow-paced. This is a good example of emotions and geography affecting a fight. It also cuts back and forth between the two sides of the conflict to raise the stakes and pull the readers’ heartstrings.

_La Belle Savauge_ includes several fight scenes. There’s an early one in an alley that I found especially striking. The characters have to work within the constraints of the space and navigate in the dark. Pay attention to how Philip Pullman creates mystery and danger.


	18. Home is Where the Heart Is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting 4/6

**4\. Home is Where the Heart Is**

If you’re having trouble deciding which details to include to create a realistic setting, where better to look than the real places that hold meaning for you? It’s time once again to steal from our lived experiences. Even if you’re trying to write a hard sci-fi world or use an existing setting from canon, adding details from the real world as you know it can make the world feel more live-in and interesting.

> **Writing challenge:** **Write down the most interesting thing about your hometown and a secret.**
> 
> The interesting thing can be something small, like being home to a famous athlete or having a cool mural. The secret might be as intense as a hometown murder story or as mundane as a nature trail few know about. Find a place in the canon pokemon towns where you could include a version of each of these details.

As examples, here are interesting facts and secrets about both the place I grew up and the place where I live now:

> _Interesting things about where I grew up:_ The mother of a famous outlaw is buried there. It’s surrounded by old copper mines.
> 
> _Secrets about where I grew up:_ My father’s ashes are buried at the top of Boot Hill, on my old property.
> 
> _Interesting things about where I live:_ Many of the restaurants are BYOB. In the 80s, the local police bombed a residential black neighborhood.
> 
> _Secrets about where I live:_ There’s a food truck that parks near my block on weekday mornings where you can get a bacon-egg-and-cheese sandwich and a cup of coffee for less than $5.

What if you don’t live somewhere interesting? That can also be useful!

One approach is to channel your feelings for the place you live into your rendition of an existing town in Pokemon. I was a pre-teen in an incredibly rural area when Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire came out, and I related deeply to Littleroot. A town with two houses and almost nothing else in it made a lot of sense to me; my nearest neighbor lived about a mile away, and our nearest neighbors beyond that were ten miles away. I hated my boring small town and couldn’t wait to get away. My characters, too, felt bored by their rural isolation and were curious about the rest of the world. That was easy for me to write. I also lived near a hot spring in the desert, so it was also easy for me to imagine myself there. Not knowing Hoenn was inspired by real-life Kyushu, I populated my fanfics from that time period with the mesquite trees, cacti, and creosote that surrounded me. That made my version of Hoenn unique, if nothing else.

Another answer is to do the opposite: imagine a character who loves your uninteresting hometown. What would they love about it? What would they notice that you don’t?

With some imagination, you can probably find at least one interesting hidden secret about the place you live that could become an interesting add-in to a story. Maybe writing will be your excuse to get to know your hometown better.

_Hot tip: Take a walk._

Taking a walk is a great way to reboot your brain when you’re feeling stuck. Moving your body can help get thoughts flowing and provide a new perspective. You never know when you might see something that you could use for your story.

Writer Jeff Vandermeer takes pride in not using “second-hand description.” He writes about the places he knows well, where he walks often. He has even been known to take notes on leaves when he runs out of paper during his walks. You, however, don’t have to be limited to what you can find in your backyard.

> **Writing challenge:** **Travel someplace new.**
> 
> It doesn’t have to be somewhere far — it could be a ten minute walk to a coffee shop you’ve never been to before or a thirty minute train ride to the next town over. List as many details about what you see, smell, hear, and taste as possible.
> 
> Next, get out your phone or your computer and “travel.” Pick a place you’ve always wanted to go and find as many pictures as you can. Use Google maps street view and take a virtual walk. What makes you curious about this place? What do you most wish you could explore or visit in person? How is the architecture different there from where you live? Are the streets wide or narrow? What are the trees like?
> 
> **Write a scene** **in which your character visits one of these two places and sees an old friend.**

Like borrowing traits from real people to build characters, your settings can be a patchwork of multiple places. Pulling from multiple sources to make something new relieves the pressure of trying to recreate an exact replica of the real thing—you’ll never be able to match the original, no matter how well you write and no matter how knowledgeable you are about that place. Mixing in details from a variety of locations will also ensure that your version of Saffron City is different from someone else’s—it will become yours.


	19. Making Your Own Maps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting 5/6

**5\. Making Your Own Maps**

Sometimes we write fanfiction to more deeply explore something from the canon we love. Sometimes we write fanfiction to create new uncharted territories for familiar characters to explore. I offered a few ways to do this when I talked about drawing maps and leaving blanks. But maybe your ambition goes beyond a few new towns and you’d rather create an entirely new region.

If you want to go this route, I have to warn you: you will lose some readers right away. Many fans read fan fiction out of nostalgia, and not just for the characters. If your main characters are canon you might do alright, but if you’re trying to create a new region _and_ populate it with new characters, I highly recommend finding a way to turn those ideas into original fiction instead.

That said, there are ways to make such a story work. If you still want to create an original region, there are a few things you will probably want to do.

First, you’ll want to take inspiration from a real-world place for cohesion, preferably one you have a personal connection to. Consider the geography, mythology, and contemporary culture of your source material. Be very careful not to lean on stereotypes. Fan-made pokemon you add to the region should also be part of creating a sense of place. For example, Sinnoh is based on the northernmost part of Japan. It’s cold and wet, which we see not only in areas of snow, mud, and the abundance of lakes but also in the rarity of fire pokemon.

Second, look for a balance between including familiar structures and subverting stereotypes. Fanfic writer Farla has done [a useful analysis of the existing gyms in canon](https://www.fanfiction.net/topic/216173/174027142/1/Gym-Leaders), pointing out which combinations are characterized in interesting ways and which are overused. You don’t need to copy the structure of existing gyms like starting with rock and ending with dragons. You should pick gym types that make sense to the themes and geography of your region, and you should try to pick unique pairings of leader personalities and typings.

You’ll want to include at least a few familiar elements, like canon pokemon or an eight gym challenge—or both. If you want to implement a new structure to replace gyms, for example, make sure it feels connected to your region’s identity and not like a gimmick for its own sake.

Third, consider continuity. If you intend to use canon characters, think about how much of the canon you want to port over. Would Ash and friends be surprised by clone pokemon after having faced Mewtwo already? Do you have a good reason why Ash wouldn’t bring any of his old pokemon? How does your region fit into the broader world?

Finally, read fan region stories or play ROM hacks and take notes. What’s already been done? What patterns in existing fanfics annoy you? What excited you about these stories? Pay attention to what has already succeeded or failed in this sub-community.


	20. You Can Never Go Home: Setting and Conflict

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Setting 6/6

**6\. You Can Never Go Home: Setting and Conflict**

Setting, like any other aspect of storytelling, can be used to create conflict and drive the plot forward. A setting in your story may be hostile simply by its nature. Stories about pokemon are bursting with opportunities to put your characters in places they don’t belong, whether it’s a forest full of beasts, a steep cliff, a city after dark, or even an underwater cavern. (As long as you make sure their reasons for going there stem from trying to fulfill their goals!) You have a lot of choices.

In the TTPRG _Monster of the Week_, locations are always classified as a _threat_ for the players, which means it should be used to further the story by creating conflict. Each one even has a _motivation_, a specific way it can create conflict.

> **Writing Challenge:** **For each type of location threat in the following list, think of a place in the canon of pokemon that could fit that description.**
> 
> Try mixing and matching in surprising ways. Yes, a construction site could be an obvious nominee for a death trap. But what if, instead, the character’s family home were somehow the deathtrap?
> 
> • Crossroads (motivation: to bring people, and things, together)
> 
> • Deathtrap (motivation: to harm intruders)
> 
> • Den (motivation: to harbor monsters)
> 
> • Fortress (motivation: to deny entry)
> 
> • Hellgate (motivation: to create evil)
> 
> • Hub (motivation: to reveal information)
> 
> • Lab (motivation: to create weirdness)
> 
> • Maze (motivation: to confuse and separate)
> 
> • Prison (motivation: to constrain and prevent exit)
> 
> • Wilds (motivation: to contain hidden things)

Conflict and change are also closely linked. The setting of a story may hold many scars of the past. A setting that initially poses no threat could change and become dangerous. A once peaceful town could be blown apart by a rampaging legendary, leaving your protagonist to dodge falling boulders at the shopping center. The unsinkable ship could hit bad weather (or an iceberg).

> **Writing challenge: Write a tense scene that takes place in a mundane setting.**
> 
> Perhaps it’s a dentist’s office, a playground, or a parking lot. How can you raise the stakes? What would make that familiar space unsettling, unsafe, or unusual?
> 
> **Writing challenge:** **Create a sanctuary for your character.**
> 
> What makes it special? Why does your character feel safe there?
> 
> **Now write a scene in which your character discovers a secret about that sanctuary and they no longer feel safe there.**

Sometimes the mere fact of change creates conflict all by itself, even if that conflict isn’t an immediate physical danger. My favorite example in Pokemon fan fiction is Cutlerine’s “Tide and Time,” which explores a post-Kyogre Hoenn. Her descriptions of sunken cities and new floating cities built from the wreckage of the old ones are not only beautiful but they also create tense moments for characters. Archie and Maxie have to face the consequences of their actions. Characters see the remnants of a place that was once home and are hurt by the knowledge that their loved ones died there.

> **Writing challenge:** **Write about why your character can never, ever return home.**
> 
> Who are the new, unfriendly powers who have taken over? What destroyed the town? How have changes in the character made home hostile to them or vice versa?

Remember that story events are especially hard-hitting when they thwart your character’s goals or takes something from them when they need it most.


	21. Plot Strategies and Idea Gleaning: Outlining

**VII. Plot Strategies and Idea Gleaning**

So, what if you have complex characters with clear motivations and a rich setting but still aren’t sure what to do with them? Ultimately, the only way to have written is to write. After a certain point, the only thing left to do is dive in. However, some planning can help. In this section I’ll talk about strategies for planning a story, framing your story, and a few ideas for other places to find inspiration.

* * *

**1\. Outlining**

Whenever I feel “writer’s block,” it’s usually because I’m uncertain about the next turn the story should take. When that happens to me, I know it’s time to get a bird’s eye view of my story and spend some time reworking my outline.

Not everyone likes to outline—some prefer to see where the writing takes them, letting each scene unfold as a natural response to what came before. Even if that sounds like you, an outline or a partial outline can be a helpful tool if you’re not sure what comes next or if you’re worried your story has gotten away from you.

I’ll share two outlining techniques I’ve found helpful.

**A. The Snowflake Method**

Randy Ingerman’s Snowflake Method asks you to start with a simple description and then add detail, starting with one sentence and ending with multiple paragraphs. I’ll share a simplified version of this process and then, after, a link to a more detailed description.

  1. Write a one-sentence summary of your story.
  2. Expand that one sentence into five sentences. (You should have a simplistic beginning, middle, and end.)
  3. Turn each of those sentences into a paragraph. (Each paragraph should end with a problem until you get to the end.)
  4. Write character summaries, including their motives and arc. (I usually skip this because I already have a clear idea of my characters.)
  5. Continue expanding until you feel comfortable enough to write!

I used the Snowflake Method to write “Spring.” Before I started, I already knew the characters and the story’s overall shape but I needed help sorting out the details, especially in the second half. This simple process was the perfect structure to help me fill in the gaps between the middle of the story and the end. I’ll share my first outline as an example. I’ve made quite a few changes to my plot structure since then, but this outline does still include some spoilers: proceed with caution if you’re following that story.

> _The story in one sentence:_
> 
> Chris Nakano’s goal of following in his father’s footsteps to become a widely respected trainer is pulled off course twice: first when he becomes obligated to take on a strange girl as a traveling companion and again when her sudden disappearance leaves him to reckon with the aftermath of fame alone.
> 
> _The story in five sentences:_
> 
> Chris is on his way to get his eighth badge and challenge the Indigo League when he encounters Una in the snow. Though he knows it’ll interfere with his goals, he gives in to his crush and allows her to travel with him rather than abandon her. He makes it to the Indigo League at the last minute and battles his way to the top of the competition, becoming an overnight sensation because of his humility, youth, and his unwarranted success. After his victory against two-time champion Gary Oak, Una mysteriously vanishes as suddenly as she first appeared, leaving Chris heartbroken and overwhelmed by facing his new fame alone. He flees to Hoenn in hopes of finding respite but instead finds himself besieged by both fans and Gary and also in need of rescue, first from Alex Sanders and then from Suicune. A conversation with Suicune inspires him to take charge of his own story again without worrying about how others see him or dwelling over a past he cannot change.
> 
> _The story in five paragraphs:_
> 
> Chris is making the arduous trek through the Ice Pass to Blackthorn City, where he hopes to earn his eighth badge so he can go on to The Indigo League. His father was the gym leader of his hometown, Olivine City, until he was accidentally killed, and Chris hopes to honor his memory by becoming a respected trainer. He comes across Una in the snow, where she has been accidentally been transported by a celebi trying to escape a hunter 500 years ago. Unbeknownst to either of them, Una is destined to be returned to her own time where she was a priestess of Ho-Oh in the Bronze Tower, which will burn down with her and two others inside it only for them to be regenerated as the legendary roaming beasts. He uses his first aid training to save her life and get her to professional help, but he’s so entranced by her that he can’t leave it at that even though he risks his goals as a trainer by following her.
> 
> He returns to Mahogany Town with Una and the paramedics in hopes of learning more about her, in spite of his looming deadline. He agrees to help her get back to her home in Ecruteak City, unwilling to abandon her and thinking it will be a short additional errand. When they arrive in Ecruteak, Una’s memory returns to her and they learn that she has somehow traveled 500 years into her future and no longer has anywhere to call home in Ecruteak. He begrudgingly agrees to her request to join him on his travels, only for them to realize that her pacifistic beliefs are at odds with his lifestyle. On the way to return her to Mahogany as a halfway measure, they’re encountered by Suicune, who gives him an offer to help any time he needs it but also a mandate to take care of Una.
> 
> The journey to Blackthorn shows Una that Chris is in fact trustworthy and kind, and so when Ibuki initially refuses to take his challenge she, Una, is able to make an appeal on his behalf that convinces Ibuki to change her mind. Getting to The Indigo Plateau afterward is a scramble, but Chris manages to arrive with just enough time to become the last competitor to register for the conference. Chris narrowly survives an unfair ruling and injuries on his team and manages to battle his way to the top, surprising both himself and the commentators and unwittingly charming the world with his self-effacing behavior. He faces a final battle with two-time champion Gary Oak, who is older, more qualified, and antagonistic. Against all odds he pulls through , but the big screen above the stadium captures the moment when his smile falls, seeing that the seat where Una should be sitting is empty.
> 
> Unable to find any answers about where or why Una has gone, Chris takes some time at home to try to rest and heal, but he’s restless. He decides to travel to Hoenn under the incorrect impression that he’ll be less easily recognized there. In Slateport City, he’s nearly trampled by fans until Alex Sanders drives them off by making Chris appear to be an impostor. All the same, he’s later recognized by Gary Oak and challenged to a public rematch. His plan to purposefully lose the match and dethrone himself goes awry and Chris is knocked over the side of a cliff and into the ocean.
> 
> Chris is pulled from the water and to the safety of a remote tidal cave by Suicune. She explains her past, shutting down Chris’s pleas to try to change her fate, and tells Chris that he, like her must learn to pursue his own path forward in spite of all those who would try to control him. Back on dry land, Chris finishes the battle with Gary and decides not to hold back. After, he finally agrees to give an interview so he can control his own narrative. He tells Alex that he’s not sure anymore if being a gym leader would suit him and that he plans to continue traveling and training until he find his own way to be a good community leader.

Already, the story I’m writing has deviated a little from this path, and it likely will do so again. For me and for this story, that’s okay. I’m not beholden to the outline—it’s only there to suggest a path forward.

You can find a more detailed explanation of this method [here](https://blog.reedsy.com/snowflake-method/), including more detail on adding character profiles.

**B. Ellen Brock’s Summary to Outline**

While the Snowflake Method focuses on character and a version of the three-act structure (or at least beginning, middle, and end), Ellen Brock’s method focuses on scenes. Again, I’ll share a simplified version of this process and then, after, a link to a more detailed description.

  1. Start with basic summary of idea from start to finish. It can be as many sentences as you need it to be, but it can be short and simple. Don’t worry about what you don’t know.
  2. Generate questions about each aspect of the simple summary, sentence by sentence. (Why does X matter? What are the underlying motives? What brought these characters to this situation?)
  3. Write a new summary that answers all of those questions. (Create a cohesive concept of what the story is going to be like.) 
    * a. Establish the basic conflict.
    * b. Identify a subplot.
  4. Create outline by listing scenes you know will be required. (Don’t worry about chronology, gaps, or unknowns.)
  5. Return to outline and add in additional scenes where needed.
  6. Build up more complete plot-line by answering and addressing remaining unknowns. (Repeat forever or until you finish your story.)

I used this method to plan “Continental Divides.” Before starting my outline, I knew some of the major beats, but had big questions about the motives of different factions and how they could work against each other. I also had a lot of moving parts and was struggling to pare down the most essential parts. The question-asking portions of this process were especially helpful for those problems. I’ll share the outline for the first drafts of chapters 1-4 of “Continental Divides”—if you’re following the story, you should probably read those chapters first. There will be some spoilers, but most are already obvious from a combination of the story summary, tags, and genre.

> **Quickest, most basic summary of idea:**
> 
> Two rival eco terrorists bridge the gap between their two factions through love. Together they face off against the oil industry to prevent complete destruction. Though the world remains irrevocably changed, they choose to face the future together.
> 
> **Some obvious questions:**
> 
>   * What environmental problems are the two groups responding to?
>   * What is the source of conflict between the two groups? What distinguishes them from each other?
>   * Why did each of the protagonists get involved in extreme activism?
>   * What makes Mark and Natalie turn to each other? What causes them to be disillusioned from their respective teams’ initial goals?
>   * What changes do they each have to make in themselves to be able to align with each other and do what needs to be done?
> 
> **New summary**:
> 
> Mark and Natalie are initially intrigued by each other only to learn that they’re on opposite sides of a turf war between rival eco terrorists. Unbeknown to her, Natalie’s older brother has been leading [Team Aqua] in efforts to save the world from climate change by any means necessary, bypassing government and law to make change. Meanwhile, Mark has been working with [Team Magma] for several years, trying to spark a revolution in the ways the government and laws function. They become locked in bitter, deadly rivalry. However, as the political and environmental situation worsens, it becomes clear that they need to work together to thwart the mineral extraction company, DevCo, and to stop both gangs from making everything even worse. Against all odds, they manage to learn to love and trust each other, gather folks to their cause, and prevent catastrophe. Many changes still need to be made, but they have left the world a little better than they found it, and they know their best chance of facing the continuing problems is to face them together.
> 
> **Scenes I know I’ll need**:
> 
>   * Mark and Natalie meet
>   * Mark and Natalie connect—mutual interest
>   * Mark expresses distrust of Aqua
>   * Natalie expresses distrust of Magma
>   * Mark and Natalie learn about each other’s affiliations—rivalry begins
>   * Flashback: Natalie’s relationship with her brother
>   * Flashback: Mark joins Magma
>   * Mark and Natalie see problems caused by DevCo
>   * Magma and Aqua fail to rise to meet an obstacles
>   * Mark and Natalie are forced to work together
> 
> **Then I summarized again:**
> 
> Natalie Armstrong is exploring Rustboro—ostensibly working on her third badge while actually trying to find answers and closure for the disappearance of her brother—when she meets Mark Dunstan, a powerful gym trainer. Mark and Natalie are initially intrigued by each other, both romantically and, for Mark, as potential political allies.
> 
> However, unbeknownst to either of them, they are already on opposite sides of a turf war between rival eco terrorists: Natalie’s older brother, Archie Armstrong (alias Sinbad) has been leading the Ocean Rescue and Climate Avengers (ORCA) to save the world from climate change by any means necessary, ignoring law to make the most rapid change possible. Meanwhile, Mark has been working with MGMA (Masked Group for Mass Action) for several years, trying to change the country’s political environment with radical action.
> 
> Despite Mark’s urgings, Natalie attends a protest against DevCo, a mining and technologies company, because she’s curious how it might relate to her brother’s history. The protest turns rowdy when Magma arrives. When police respond with force, Natalie joins Magma in protecting unarmed protesters. She makes the uncomfortable discovery that Mark is part of Magma when he rescues her. They escape the protest together. Mark tries to convince Natalie to join Magma, but she's distrustful. Before he can make headway, they're ambushed by ORCA. When they recognize Natalie, he turns on her, transforming from ally and protector to captor. He tries to exchange her safety for the ORCA members setting aside their pokemon and allowing him to walk away. Instead, she is protected by her brother's pokemon and he is attacked. Mark narrowly escapes, casting a hateful stare at Natalie.
> 
> _(I've cut the rest of the summary out because of spoilers, but I continued summarizing until I got to my expecting ending.)_
> 
> **Scenes needed:**
> 
> _Scenes needed_:
> 
>   1. (prestory: Natalie finds a threatening note in her shoe.)
>   2. Natalie buys Mark a drink
>   3. Natalie sees a news report about possible gang violence
>   4. _Flashback_: looking up to Bubba as a kid
>   5. Natalie is aimless, doubtful, and needs direction (phone call with mom?)
>   6. Natalie receives a protest flyer
>   7. _Flashback_: Devon Horizon and the foster pelippers
>   8. Natalie finds a newspaper article with a photo of her brother at a protest
>   9. Mark has tense conversations with his coworker and boss—foreshadowing his Magma connection
>   10. Natalie beats Mark in a battle—rapport deepens
>   11. Mark asks Natalie to stay away from the protest
>   12. Natalie goes to the protest
>   13. Mark rescues Natalie at the protest
>   14. Mark and Natalie find a quiet place to talk about the protest
>   15. ORCA interrupts and attacks Mark
>   16. Mark reacts to what he perceives as Natalie’s betrayal
> 
> I’ve continued to return to questioning, summarizing, and listing scenes several times.

Ellen Brock gives a detailed example of this process [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-I9N5LsvPM).

* * *

In my practice, I often jump into writing a scene I can’t get out of my head. Then I stop and outline part or all of the story until I can continue writing. I write until I feel uncertain about what should come next, at which point I either expand or alter my previous outline.

There is no one correct way to outline.

If neither of these methods works for you, you might like [this guide](https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-outline-a-plot-for-pantsers-e5133c29885a) to plotting for “pansters” (folks who write by the seat of their pants). Do some research and see if there are any other outlining strategies that “click” with you.

Or you can dive in and start your story.


	22. Framing Your Story

**2\. Beginnings**

Beginnings are another area in which you might have been given conflicting advice. Maybe you’ve been told to _begin at the beginning_. It’s not bad advice: please do skip the parts where your character eats breakfast, and maybe even skip the part where they fidget over which starter to choose. We’ve seen that a million times. You might have also heard that you should _start in the middle of things_. Skip ahead to your character making a choice of some kind or in an unusual situation. However, starting too close to the conflict can be too confusing. In practice, it’s a question of balance. The beginning of a story needs to introduce the characters and the setting without being boring. It has to create energy and conflict without being confusing.

The easiest thing is to start with the scene that’s most interesting to you. Chances are good it’ll also be interesting to readers. After you’ve written, go back and check: do you introduce your major characters within the first few paragraphs? Do we know something about what they want? Is a conflict introduced in the first few paragraphs? If so, you’re probably doing alright.

As I mentioned in the portion about setting, it may help to start narrow and then go broader. You don’t have to tell us the entire history of your alternate universe in the first paragraph. Maybe start with an interaction with one character and then show their place in the broader world. You could also think of it as starting with the least weird (but still interesting) thing and progressively getting weirder. If you’re writing an alternate universe where pokemon battles are dirty, illegal affairs, maybe start with something familiar (but still interesting) that we can anchor ourselves to first.

Especially at the beginning of a story, you want your sentences to be able to multitask. For example, as I’ve said previously, dialogue can give the readers background information while also revealing something about character. That doesn’t mean every line should be dialogue or that pure exposition is bad, but you might want to ask yourself _how can I make this sentence do more_?

Unfortunately, sometimes the best way to find the best beginning is to try multiple approaches. Perhaps you write out your first idea and find it’s a slow start. Write a second version that’s closer to the first conflict. Write a third that’s even closer, and decide which of the three you like best. Other times you might start your story right before a conflict, only to realize that you don’t yet know enough about the characters for that conflict to feel meaningful. You might have to back up a little and give readers more time to connect with the characters, or you might need to start with a smaller conflict.

The point is, you might not get it right the first try, and that’s okay.

> **Writing challenge: write two extra beginnings.**  
Look at a story you’ve already started and write two new beginnings for it.   
First, rewind: write 1 - 5 opening paragraphs that take place before the current beginning of your story. What can we learn about your characters by starting earlier? What other context could we add to the current problem?  
Next, fast forward: jump ahead to the first big conflict and rewrite it as an opening sequence for the story. Is anything missing that prevents the reader from understanding or empathizing? Is it more exciting than the first version?

For some extremely helpful examples, I highly recommend _Wonderbook_. Jeff Vandermeer shows two previous drafts of the opening paragraphs of a story, and then walks you through each sentence of the published draft and explains why he made each choice.

His first example starts with a character waking up. He’s a skilled writer, but even in his very capable hands, this was a boring start.

His second example starts with a character in a car on his way to a crime scene. This did give him the opportunity to do some world-building by pointing out things the character saw out the window, but it was still a scene of sitting and waiting for something else to start. This kind of scene could’ve worked elsewhere in the story, but not at the beginning.

The scene that was finally published shows the protagonist on the threshold of a room. On the other side are the crime scene and his boss, who he really doesn’t want to see. Starting here gives the reader a moment to watch the protagonist weigh his decision to enter and prepare himself for it, setting the stakes for what is about to unfold and explaining some of the context without losing sight of the conflict.

**3\. Endings**

Stories are full of endings—not just the final lines of the story, but endings of scenes and ending of chapters. It can be difficult for some to figure out when to stop. My rule of thumb is simple: figure out the main goal of a scene or chapter, and end it **either right after the resolution of that goal** or **after showing its aftermath**. The former creates a cliffhanger. Something unexpected or bad has happened, and we won’t know how characters will respond until the next chapter. The latter creates more of an emotional moment. We might see how badly a character suffers following a failure or we may see them resolve to achieve a new goal. What has changed or failed to change? Either way, you want to end on a note that lays out a problem (whether big and urgent or small and nagging) that compels the characters to move forward to resolve it.

Be careful not to make every ending a cliffhanger or the story will begin to feel repetitive and predictable. In the same way that a variety of sentence lengths makes a story more interesting to read, so does having a variety of scene and chapter endings.


	23. More Sources for Plot Ideas

**4\. More Sources for Plot Ideas**

Even the best writers sometimes need a jump-start. Whether trying to decide what motivates your character or what plot turn would give the greatest effect in your story, sometimes it’s useful to get some outside help. The following are a few places I turn to for extra inspiration.

One of the sources that has most helped me improve my storytelling is** role-playing games** like _Dungeons and Dragons_ and _Monster of the Week_. There are as many TTRPGs as there are types of stories with some focusing on horror, others on interpersonal drama, and others on solving a mystery. All invite you to improvise dialogue for a character (or many characters if you’re the game master) and make choices. Even better, the responsibility for telling the story is shared, which means you’ll get to see many different approaches and perspectives. If you’re looking for a game to play or want to witness one in action, I recommend the actual play podcast Oneshot, which explores a variety of role playing games in short form.

I also love to use **local news headlines** for inspiration, because truth is so often stranger than fiction. You can’t go wrong with a “Florida Man + date” Google search. Your local library may even have microfilm if you want to look at newspapers from long ago.

If you’re more visually driven, check out** National Geographic’s annual photography contest.** They post all of the top picks, which means lots of beautiful photos to choose from. Ask yourself questions about what events brought about the moment of the photograph. Think about relationships between characters in the photo. Imagine what might’ve happened an hour after the photo was taken.

Another good place for inspiration, especially for character arc, is **your daily horoscope or a tarot reading**. Both astrology and tarot lean heavily on symbols and use vague language, which means any horoscope or any card could relate to a number of situations. I find that sometimes the symbols and the elevated language spark ideas I might not have thought of before.

My last suggestion is to approach your story from a new angle. **Try writing the ending or the climax first**.


	24. Even More Writing Challenges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is also under construction! I eventually plan to whip up some illustrations to add to each of these, for those of you who are more visually stimulated. For now, you're more than welcome to use the prompts anyway using an image from your mind's eye instead of one created by me.

**5\. Even More Writing Challenges**

[]

Write a scene in which this cute character is the main antagonist.

[pokemon biting attacking another trainer, owner tries to pull it off]

Write a scene that explains what happened here. Keep in mind that a pokemon’s reasons for doing something may be different from a human’s reasons, even if the pokemon is very intelligent.

What would be the most surprising thing you could learn about this character? **Write a scene in which that’s true.**

[maternal-looking woman]

This trainer has a dark secret. Write a scene in which someone becomes suspicious of her.

This character is not collecting gym badges or challenging the Elite Four. **Write about what they’re doing instead.**

Someone misunderstands something crucial about this character. **Write a scene in which they argue with another trainer.**


	25. How to Edit: Or, Murdering Your Darlings for the Betterment of the Story

**VIII. How to Edit: Or, Murdering Your Darlings for the Betterment of the Story**

Nobody, nobody, nobody writes perfect first drafts. Editing is part of the writing process for everyone. Professionals may hire an editor, or you might work with a beta reader. Regardless, no outside help should be expected to do everything for you, so knowing how to edit your own work is important.

Most people are familiar with editing for grammar or continuity errors. Too often, however, fledgling writers stop there. As heartbreaking as it is to dramatically change content you’ve spent hours or days or years perfecting, good editing often involves rewriting or cutting passages completely. It might also mean expanding on what you’ve already written. In this section, I’ll offer some examples of how I’ve edited past work, as well as guiding questions to use during your editing.

* * *

**Examples of editing my own work:**

My two main works in progress are rewrites of stories I first thought of when I was eight and twelve respectively. Bad news: I obviously couldn’t write very well at age eight or twelve (or, honestly, eighteen or even twenty-two). Good news: I have lots of examples of how these stories have improved over time!

[I](https://drive.google.com/file/d/17JY8wzHpVUfffFb1-Bvn748WmyVZ0Pu0/view?usp=sharing)’[ve compiled drafts of ](https://drive.google.com/file/d/17JY8wzHpVUfffFb1-Bvn748WmyVZ0Pu0/view?usp=sharing)“[Spring](https://drive.google.com/file/d/17JY8wzHpVUfffFb1-Bvn748WmyVZ0Pu0/view?usp=sharing)”[� Chapter 1 going back to sometime around 2006](https://drive.google.com/file/d/17JY8wzHpVUfffFb1-Bvn748WmyVZ0Pu0/view?usp=sharing). (To see all of my comments explaining why certain choices worked or didn’t work, be sure to open the document in Google Docs.) Because I’m trying to recreate a story game my friends as I played as children, the story has remained fairly static over time. The major beats have already been determined. The core concept is the same in each of these drafts—Chris Nakano finds and rescues a girl in the snow—which means it’s possible to compare each draft side by side. Pay special attention to the handling of world-building and exposition, sentence flow, how Chris’s state of mind is demonstrated, and notes about tone (i.e. every time I commented, “Really?”).

Where “Spring” has remained fairly static over time, “Continental Divides” has changed dramatically several times. I wrote a partial draft in 2010, abandoned it, and picked it back up eight years later with radically different character motivations and external obstacles. The draft I wrote in 2018 started with a protest, the inciting moment that would both set the tone for this story and start tensions between Mark and Natalie, my protagonists. Certainly, it was smoother, better writing than what I was doing in 2010. However, I realized afterward that the scene was completely unapproachable from a reader’s perspective.

First, I struggled to give the readers enough context to understand the protest, and the result was too much jargon and info-dumping. Second, the readers had almost no information about Natalie’s personality and opinions, and therefore it was impossible to care when she was in danger or to feel the weight of her choices. Third, I felt Natalie was being pulled by others too much rather than making her own decisions. Finally, the scene moved too fast and was hard to imagine in space.

So, I set it down again and came back to it a year later.

_Hot tip: give yourself time away from your writing before you edit. With fresh eyes, you’ll be able to see mistakes and problems you might not otherwise._

I rearranged the order of events and pushed the protest back. What started as one scene of 2,500 words that began with a protest … became four chapters with six scenes and 15,000 words that culminated in a protest. Y[ou can see step-by-step how a scrap in my notebook transformed into 15,000 words in this draft compilation](https://docs.google.com/document/d/126xerSkTbzpWnwvXejWJ8oAeslG7KI4aKOOIa_-plbQ/edit?usp=sharing). See if you can find which sections or lines survived the editing process and made it into the completed draft.

The two biggest changes I made were the way Mark and Natalie meet and what we learn about Natalie’s relationship with her brother. I chose to begin the story with Mark and Natalie meeting for two main reasons: 1) Ultimately, this is a story about love overcoming social and political divisions. Opening on their meeting centers the narrative around that relationship. Starting with the protest gave the politics of their world too much emphasis. 2) Giving Mark and Natalie space for conversation and banter lets the reader see what they’re like. What is each of their baselines before the real problems start? What motivates each of them? How do they interact with each other?

We meet the brother primarily through flashback, which the earlier draft had almost no space for because there was no down time. The current draft uses Natalie’s relationship with her brother to lead her almost inevitably to the protest. We learn that he gave Natalie her first pokemon and was a trainer himself. It’s clear he has motivated her own journey when she expresses the wish that he could see how much she and her team have grown. We can also see that two of her pokemon mirror major moments with her brother: like him, she trains a mightyena. As a child he told her she could catch her own pelipper someday. Years later, she has a wingull. Before his disappearance, her brother was also involved in several kinds of activism. Knowing how much and why Natalie admires him both gives us more of an attachment to the conflict and tells us about her character.

You can also see in these excerpts how I edited for specific things with each pass through. After I free-wrote in my notebook, I mostly edited to improve flow. In the next edits I made, I focused on Natalie’s agency. The next round of editing focused on building relationships between characters. Depending on the scale of what you’re writing, you might be able to edit for many things at once, but it can also be helpful to edit multiple times with a focus on a different element each time.

_Hot tip: save everything! It’s encouraging to see your own growth over time and fun to have a laugh at your own expense._

As I explained in an earlier section about organizing my Scrivener workspace, I keep a subfolder of passages I’ve cut. Sometimes I refer to these for inspiration. Sometimes I use them to remind myself of rules of the world and make sure my characters are behaving consistently, because maybe dumping all of the backstory into a chapter would bog it down too much … but I still need that information.

One example of this type of “secret backstory” is Harren the Black in _A Song of Ice and Fire_. He lived in Westeros long before any of the major characters were born, so we never watch him interact with other characters, and yet his paranoias dictated the shape of a castle where many major events in the second book take place. Knowing George R. R. Martin, he almost certainly has written or at least knows extensive backstory about Harren the Black even though it isn’t in the books themselves.

Just because you cut something from the text of your story doesn’t mean it can’t be useful later. My story “Postcards” started out as a junk drawer for world-building ideas that didn’t have a place in “Spring.” As the pieces accumulated, they began to gather narrative momentum and become their own thing. I cleaned them up, filled in some blanks, and arranged them into a 10,000 word mini series with a beginning, middle, and end.

And if you don’t find a new use for your words … that’s alright too. That’s probably what will happen most of the time. No one writes perfectly the first time, or every time. But don’t let protecting a few words hold you back from making a good story. Even if you delete your words into a void without saving them, it’s still never a waste because the act of writing those words taught you something you need to be able to write the next, better words. They have already served their purpose.

* * *

Now it’s time to do some editing of your own. If you haven’t yet written responses to any prompts in this guide, do so now. Or, make a copy of a scene from a current work in progress and edit that instead.

> **Editing challenge: prioritize the narrative.**
> 
> What is your goal with this passage? Does it move us forward is the story, or is it a detour? Are any parts irrelevant to the overall themes or plot points of the story? Does dialogue show something critical about the character, or is it just entertaining to me? Is there enough foreshadowing for future events? Does this sentence or paragraph or scene need to happen at this point in the story — should it happen sooner? Later?
> 
> **Editing challenge: evaluate characterization.**
> 
> What does your protagonist want during this scene? Do other characters want a different outcome? If so, what efforts do they make to pursue their own agenda? Do they cave in too easily to the protagonist’s needs? Is the protagonist pursuing what they want or what you need them to pursue to advance your story? Is your character meaner or more clueless or more volatile than you intended? Does the reader have enough information to care about your character? Is all the information they do have interesting and necessary? Where can you find places to show with action and body language what your character thinks and feels?
> 
> **Editing challenge: create sense of place.**
> 
> What clues, if any, already point towards place? Are these enough, or do we need more? Do we need to know anything about the weather or the temperature in the room? How many of the five senses are being applied to this scene? Is it clear where characters are and what they’re doing? Are there enough words to describe where characters are in relation to each other? Where are actions confusing or hard to picture?
> 
> **Editing challenge: pace it out.**
> 
> Are there enough slower, quieter moments for characters to reflect, plan, and have emotional realizations? Does it feel like all your characters do is run from place to place? Does it take too long to get to the action? Does it feel like all your characters do is talk? Are there places where shorter sentences would increase the tension of the scene?
> 
> **Editing challenge: revise tone.**
> 
> What do you want readers to feel when they read this scene? (Hint: What’s the mood of the perspective character?) Which lines or details support that feeling or mood, and which shift away from it? If the mood changes throughout the passage, does the change reflect the perspective character’s response to events of the scene? Or does the mood change because of metaphor choice or offhand comments? Are your similes and metaphors your observations or observations the perspective character would make?
> 
> **Editing challenge: check continuity.**
> 
> Are any of the pokemon that fainted at the outset of the chapter suddenly all better at the end of it with no explanation? Has it been too long since a key character or item has been mentioned? Have any nicknames, place names, or names of items changed by mistake? Is the time line consistent throughout? Do characters know information they aren’t supposed to yet? Have they forgotten to act upon something they were supposed to know?
> 
> **Editing challenge: look for repetition.**
> 
> Are there words or phrases you overuse? Are there filler words (e.g. just, like, in order to, of, sort of, a little, a bit, somewhat, some) you can cut? Do two paragraphs in a row start with the same word? Do two sentences in a row start with the same word? Do two sentences in a row have the same structure, length, and rhythm? Are any sentences redundant or already obvious without being said explicitly?
> 
> **Editing challenge: improve flow.**
> 
> Does each idea naturally lead to the next, or are there gaps? (Be careful with words like this, they, some people, others, experts, etc. Who or what specifically are we referring to?) Do any ideas need further explanation? How does it sound out loud? Should any long sentences be split into two or more sentences? Are all of your subjects and verbs in agreement? Is verb tense consistent throughout? Is there any accidental head-hopping?

* * *

Outlining can be a useful tool for editing as well. **Reverse outlining** is a way to create a map of where your story has been so you can check whether you’re on course. Seeing a list of the choices you’ve made for your story might help you see if there are gaps, repetitions, or leaps of logic that don’t make sense.

To write a reverse outline, start by listing the scenes in each chapter. Then take notes of important details in each scene. Helpful things to note are character relationships chapter by chapter, mood, when foreshadowing for an event starts, and key events.

**Here is an example from “Continental Divides”:**

> **Chapter 1: The Dive**
> 
> **Characters**: Natalie - POV, Luna (mightyena), Spook (ORCA), Whiskey (banette)
> 
> **Locations**: Rustboro - street in an industrial part of town, On the Rocks (bar), hostel
> 
>   1. Natalie chases off an unknown stalker (Spook) with a banette
>   * _Behind the scenes_: Archie sees Natalie in Rustboro and asks Spook to keep an eye on her.
>   * _Behind the scenes_: Natalie has been hanging around Rustboro for several weeks, aimlessly
>   * First mention of family dynamic: brother is missing, dad worries a lot and sends lots of emails
>   * Natalie thinks this is an attempted mugging
>   * Natalie pricks her finger on a banette pin
> 
> * Natalie takes refuge in a bar, where she meets Mark; he starts trying to radicalize her
> 
>   * _Flashback_: watching Bubba train with Justice (mightyena)
>   * Mark and Natalie each think the other is following them at first
>   * She’s attracted to him, decides he’s flirting with her
>   * Natalie tells Mark about her brother and Devon Horizon
>   * Mark tells Natalie about Spitfire
> 
> * Natalie decides she can’t stay in Rustboro forever and commits to getting her badge
> 
> **Chapter 2: Testing Grounds**
> 
> **Characters**: Mark - POV, Natalie, Ore (solrock), Luna (mightyena), Gibs (liepard), gym trainers (Hilary, Aisha, Casey), Roxanne
> 
> **Locations**: Rustboro gym, Rustboro - downtown street
> 
>   1. Mark is disappointed in his gym coworker’s politics
>   * _Behind the scenes_: Mark fights ORCA in the streets after the bar
>   * Mark lies about his injuries
>   * Mark tries to convince Hilary to come to a meeting, but she balks
>   * Natalie came looking for him earlier
> 
> * Natalie challenges Mark at the gym
> 
>   * He’s testing her abilities
>   * She wins narrowly
>   * There’s not enough time for her to challenge Roxanne before the gym closes; he doesn’t want her to encounter the protest
>   * He asks her to meet him after his shift, wanting to control her exposure
> 
> * Mark fails to convince her not to go to the protest
> 
>   * Gibs makes his first appearance (“He’s your baby!”)
>   * She thinks he’s all talk
> 
> **Chapter 3: Red**
> 
> **Characters**: Natalie - POV, Mark, Samson (gurdurr), Amelia (wingull), Ore (solrock), Spitfire, unnamed Magma members, cops
> 
> **Locations**: Rustboro - downtown street
> 
>   1. Natalie gets swept up in the protest
>   * Cops are rude to her
>   * Spitfire gives a speech
>   * Natalie is excited by the crowd
> 
> * The protest gets rowdy, and Natalie makes a decision to fight back against the cops
> 
>   * Magma joins; they have a bad reputation
>   * Someone throws a rock
>   * Cops attack unarmed civilians
>   * Natalie joins Magma in defending the protesters
> 
> * Mark pulls Natalie out
> 
>   * He shields her from a police manectric
>   * She is horrified by the reveal that he’s with Magma
> 
> **Chapter 4: Blue**
> 
> **Characters**: Natalie - POV, Mark, Scarlet, Archie, Justice (Archie’s mightyena), unnamed ORCA member
> 
> **Locations**: Rustboro - alley, parking lot
> 
>   1. Mark and Natalie double battle a couple of police pokemon
>   * Natalie at first resists following him, but she doesn’t know where else to go and is disoriented by sleep spore
>   * She’s excited by fighting together with him
> 
> * Mark tries to convince Natalie to join Magma
>   

> * ORCA interrupts
> 
>   * Scarlet recognizes her
>   * Mark uses Natalie as a hostage
>   * Mark fights ORCA 3:1 and narrowly escapes
>   * Scarlet steals Gibs’ ball
>   * Natalie learns that her missing brother is with ORCA

My copy in Scrivener is also color-coded to reflect who is the perspective character of each scene, because later chapters use a variety of perspective characters. You might also track things like the mood of each scene, important items in each scene, or what kinds of foreshadowing/plot hints appear.

* * *

You are also fully allowed to edit retroactively even after you hit publish. Continuing readers likely won’t see the changes you make, but new readers will. Leaving in errors or fixing them could mean the difference between bringing a new reader on board and scaring them off, especially for obvious, easily fixed grammar errors.

Editing deeper issues like character arc and plot holes takes more effort, but I always find it rewarding.I want to know that people are looking at the best version of the story I could produce. Sometimes it’s not clear what that best version is without hearing reader feedback. This is especially true for pacing. Like many fic writers, I write one chapter at a time and post as I write; the feedback between chapters helps me determine if I’m on the right course and keeps me motivated to keep writing. However, sometimes it’s hard to tell that you spent too much time on a beat (or not enough) until you’ve written yourself further down the road. For more thoughts on the strange opportunities and limitations of plot pacing in fan fiction, check out [this post by Aether on Bulbagarden](https://forums.bulbagarden.net/index.php?threads/the-problem-with-the-format-of-fanfiction.233722/).

* * *

Equally important for knowing how to edit is to know when to stop. When poet Paul Valery said, “A poem’s never finished, only abandoned,” he meant that a piece of writing is never going to be completely perfect no matter how much you fuss with it. You are constantly growing as a writer, which means the things you have written will never be as good as the things you will write. After a certain point, you have to let go and move on to the next scene, the next chapter, the next story. Otherwise, you could be stuck editing the same sentence forever.

Knowing when to stop editing is not the same as giving up or slapping together a half-baked piece of writing. To know when to quit, you need to know what you wanted a piece of writing to accomplish. If you wanted to write a sad scene that makes the reader empathize with your protagonist, edit until you get there. Is this actually sad? Is this over the top? Is this character sympathetic enough? Is there enough foreshadowing? Those are all questions you can address.

If your scene does what you want it to but you’re disappointed it’s not as good as your favorite writer, that might be the time to put it down and move on to the next piece of writing. Be realistic and kind to yourself. You don’t have to be your favorite writer. You just have to tell a story that works.

If your scene does what you want it to but you’re disappointed it’s not as good as your favorite writer, that might be the time to put it down and move on to the next piece of writing. Be realistic and kind to yourself. You don’t have to be your favorite writer. You just have to tell a story that works.


	26. Final Thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1/26/20:  
I edited the wording of the passage on writing reviews because of some objections to the implications of sugarcoating or turning a blind eye to bigotry.

**IX. Final Thoughts**

Sometimes you can’t beat a classic: read often, write often. I know that both have helped me improve enormously, and one of the best things I learned in college was to do both in a more targeted way. I’ll share some perspectives and questions to keep in mind to get the most out of both.

**1\. How to Read**

I’ve included a list of suggested readings at the end of this guide. Whether you’re reading books from my list or other fics, here are some questions you should ask while you’re reading:

  * What do I like about this? What works about this?
  * Why don’t I like this? Is this a problem of personal preference or of weak writing?
  * How does the writer manage pacing?
  * What kinds of choices do the characters make? How often is the plot driven by character choice, and how often is it driven by outside forces?
  * What makes this character distinct?
  * How does the writer transition between scenes? When do they end scenes?
  * Why did the writer choose to start or end their story there?
  * What are this writer’s strengths? What are this writer’s weaknesses?
  * What does this writer make me want to try in my own story?

**2\. How to Review**

Obviously, writing your own stories is the best way to practice new techniques, but writing about other writing is also very helpful for that. When you write a review, you have the opportunity to articulate _why_ something wasn’t working for you or _what_ was good about it. Noticing flaws and suggesting solutions for someone else, when you’re able to be more objective than with your own writing, can show you how to do the same for yourself.

Before you review, it’s important to remember that not all writers in the fan fiction community are there for the same reason. Some take their writing seriously and want to improve. Some writers may even be willing to trade reviews. Others are just there for fun and aren’t interested in criticism of any kind. If someone posts their story online, they should be aware that they’ve opened themselves up to both positive and negative commentary, but they aren’t always receptive. You can’t control how someone else responds to your comments. However, a few tactics can improve the odds that both you and the writer get something constructive out of the exchange:

Ask questions. You might ask questions about the writer’s intent with a line or plot device: “Did you mean to say X instead of Y? Is this character the best perspective character for this scene? This line makes me feel XYZ—was that intentional?”Or you might ask questions about the world or characters: “I wonder what would happen if …? What does this character think about what happened in this scene? How does this group handle such-and-such obstacle?”

**When you ask questions, you honor what the story is trying to be rather than imposing your own tastes on the writer. **Questions give the writer a chance to come up with their own solutions as an active participant rather having to passively listen to a lecture from a reviewer, and that means they’re more likely to apply those solutions because they’re theirs.

Be specific where you can. “This is bad” is too vague and difficult for the writer to address, but “the lack of paragraph spacing makes this hard to read” is actionable.

Be as kind as possible. Avoid sarcasm—it rarely translates well when you can’t hear the tone of someone’s voice, especially if you don’t know each other well. A considerate, kindly worded comment is more likely to get a kindly worded reply. Also keep in mind that the person you’re addressing might not be a native speaker of your language or might be a child. As an example, when I was twelve I was as bad a writer as any with unrealistic characters, plot holes, and buckets of spelling mistakes. I improved over time because I continued writing. At least part of the reason I kept writing was because of one review I received from someone years older than me. Although she did did point out places that needed improvement, but she balanced her criticism with concrete suggestions for improvement and encouragement. She made me believe I could improve—and made me want to.

Kindness applies when you respond to reviews on your own stories as well. If someone is rude to you, responding with rudeness is only going to make it worse. When in doubt, you can always say something along the lines of, “Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I’m going to stick with the choices I’ve already made here, but I get why you feel that way. Cheers!” Or you can choose not to respond at all.

Keep an open mind, but know when something simply isn’t for you. Even when I encounter a story I think is boring and badly written, I can usually find _something_ to compliment with sincerity, whether it’s the writer’s love of the source material or how much they’ve improved since last time I saw their work. If I can’t find anything positive to say, I might decide it’s kinder not to say anything at all. This is especially true for things like kinks and character pairings. After all, it was my choice to read their story—the writer didn’t make me do it—and my objection won’t make them feel differently about their kink or their ship. Sometimes it’s best to live and let live if it’s not hurting anyone.

Outright bigotry is often a different matter—live and let live doesn’t always apply. However, call out culture in fandom is a huge topic unto itself, one that I can’t fully address here in the hypothetical. The specifics matter. As a reviewer on an anonymous internet forum, it’s also not always a fight worth having, even if you’re in the right, because you open yourself up to harassment. If you choose to engage with the writer, my experience is that most bigotry comes from ignorance. In those cases, calling someone’s behavior racist (for example) only makes them dig their heels in deeper, because that’s not how they see themself—even if racist is exactly what that behavior is. I have had the best results when I ask questions and gently point out alternative ways a character could be represented—but those conversations are never short or easy, and not everyone is willing to have that conversation in the first place. Often, engaging with the writer in these cases is not constructive. **If you encounter content you believe to be truly harmful, the best course of action is to report it.**

Ultimately, you can’t make someone change their story or write the way you want them to—that’s why you get to write whatever you want, and they get to do the same. Remember, you’re not shouting into the void: you’re talking to a person, somebody who put time and effort into something they made. Be realistic about your expectations and about what you want to get out of writing the review.

**3\. Why You Should Keep Writing**

Nobody says writing is easy. In fact, I think most writers would agree it’s very difficult.

You should keep doing it anyway.

If you don’t keep writing you’ll never get better. Everyone starts somewhere, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Don’t let one bad review or doubts about your story stop you.

Getting better isn’t the only reason to write. It’s therapeutic. It helps you make sense of the world. It’s a way to make friends with common interests—it’s a way of connecting.

Life is short and the world is literally on fire. You should write what you want and try to enjoy yourself.


	27. Further Reading

**X. Further Reading**

You might have heard before that good writers are also ravenous readers. This is my shortlist of writers who’ve made a big difference in how I approach storytelling, either because they have smart things to say on the subject or because their work is an example of good storytelling in action…or both. I’ve tried to include examples of fan fiction writers, mainstream writers, and writing guides I’ve enjoyed, as well as a blurb about what makes it worthy of your time. I’ve also included more information about the works I mentioned as asides throughout this guide.

**Farla’s Writing Guides** \- Farla has published a [grammar guide](https://m.fanfiction.net/topic/11834/21887406/1/Writing-Guide-Part-One-Grammar) and a [guide for writing pokemon stories](https://m.fanfiction.net/topic/11834/142410565/1/Writing-Guide-Part-Two-Story). Her approach is a little different from mine…which is great! The more perspectives you take in, the more chances you’ll have to improve.

**A Reader's Guide to PMD Fic** \- If you're interested in writing fanfic in the Pokemon Dungeon sub-genre specifically, check out [this guide](https://forums.thousandroads.net/index.php?threads/a-readers-guide-to-pokemon-mystery-dungeon-under-construction.213/) written by Namohysip on the Thousand Roads forum. The guide is under construction, but is still a good roadmap to the conventions (and well-trodden territory) of the sub-genre. You might also like [this in-progress series of resource sheets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21948358), which so far includes lots of pokemon-crafted berry wines.

**Fanfiction Resources on Thousand Roads** \- Longtime fic writer Negrek has collected [this set of resources](https://thousandroads.net/fanfic) for pokemon fic writers: fic recommendations, an essay on the dangers of scrapping your work and starting over, and pokemon-themed word-counters.

**Ellen Brock** \- Ellen Brock is a novel editor with so much good stuff to say about story structure and character arc. She’s got a [blog](https://ellenbrockediting.com/blog/) and lots of [Youtube videos.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xS8LykRUj0)

**Jim Butcher and the Great Swampy Middle** \- This [blog post](https://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/1865.html?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) talks about why middles of stories can be especially tricky and offers several solutions for working with them. 

**_Ron Carlson Writes a Short Story_ by Ron Carlson** \- This little book (only one hundred pages) explains the writer’s thought process while writing a short story in as much detail as one could possibly want, including how he managed to keep himself at his desk writing in spite of the noisy construction work being done on his house. I’ve already repurposed some of his writing challenges in this guide, but I still recommend reading through the book to watch him put some of his tips and tricks to action. Do take it with a grain of salt, because he’s also snobbishly anti-genre fiction. He probably hates fanfiction, and it’s his loss. You don’t have to see literary fiction as the One Writing Style to Rule Them All to appreciate his advice though.

**_Maps and Legends_ by Michael Chabon** \- In direct contrast to Ron Carlson, this book is a giant defense of genre fiction. It even includes an essay about fan fiction. His thoughts on multi-genre stories will be particularly relevant to many fan fiction writers. Your pokemon story might be both a fantasy adventure and a tale of loss and grief. It might also be a cross-over with an entirely different type of story.

**Jeff Vandermeer** \- My first introduction to Vandermeer was his _Southern Reach Trilogy_, which is literally to die for. I recommend it especially for folks who are interested in exploring pokemon from a dark or uncanny angle. Annihilation is a masterful example of pacing and of putting characters in positions to make tough choices — his characters are vivid and distinctive in spite of never having names other than their job titles. It’s also a wonderful example of writing with a sense of place and using setting as a character unto itself. He takes great pride in never using “second-hand description,” always basing his depictions of the natural world on sights and experiences from his hikes. Once you’ve finished the series, his blog has some interesting nuggets about how he thinks about story structure (as separate from plot structure).

In addition to his fiction, Vandermeer has also written a lovely illustrated writing guide called _Wonderbook_. It’s targeted towards writing sci-fi and fantasy, which certainly isn’t incompatible with writing pokemon, but applies to any genre. His guide too is filled with writing challenges, as well as essays from guest writers, helpful charts, and detailed explanations of the difference between plot and story structure. I’ve borrowed many of my ideas about writing from this book.

**The Writer Emergency Pack** \- This deck of cards includes twenty-six illustrated idea cards plus twenty-six more detail cards to help you find new ways to look at problems in your stories. Cards include both broad advice and writing prompts.

**_Bad English: A History of Linguistic Aggravation_ by Ammon Shea** \- An exploration of how language use has changed over time, and how those changes anger people. Fun and informative. Might inspire you to be kinder about pointing out grammatical pet peeves.

**Holly Black** \- I don’t think that Holly Black is a perfect writer — she’s predictable and cycles through the same character dynamics over and over. Nevertheless, I’m recommending her because she’s very good at a few specific things. Pretty much any book by Holly Black is going to include: 1) Descriptions of weird creatures and characters that give a clear and enticing image without resorting to describing the entire body from top to bottom; 2) descriptions of crowds and rooms, creating both a sense of space and a sense of politics and culture; and 3) using her descriptions to create a distinct mood. Notice what kinds of objects she includes in a scene.

**Porpentine** \- She’s a text game designer, and she excels at creating worlds with a sense of space using few words. I especially recommend “With Those we Love Alive.”

**William Gibson** \- I straight up don’t like him, but he’s really good at integrating brands, products, and technologies in the lives of his characters. He invents corporations and synthetic materials that sound real and flow seamlessly into the world he’s creating, even though he never stops to explain what he’s referencing. He gives you just enough to figure it out yourself and build the world with him. That’s a useful skill for folks who are interested in exploring how corporations or technology intersect with the lives of trainers and pokemon.

_**Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond**_ \- Make sure you’re reading not only a variety of genres but also work by folks of different races and genders, or you’ll be missing out. This is a very fun collection with stories that vary wildly in tone, setting, and structure. They’re also short stories, so you can take them in bite-sized pieces.

> **Bonus Writing Challenge:** **Write a response to your favorite story from this collection.**
> 
> Maybe that means writing a version of it that takes place in the pokemon world, maybe it means borrowing just one character or social structure, maybe it means writing a sequel or continuation. See what you can come up with.)

**_A Song of Ice and Fire_ by George R.R. Martin** \- This series is so popular it almost doesn’t need to be on this list… except that it’s still such a good example of shaping characters with lore, symbols, rumor, unreliable narration, and making tough choices. These books are certainly a commitment to dig into, but if you’re looking to write a long fic, this could be a good example to study.

My biggest critique of George R. R. Martin is that the way he writes race is very near-sighted and shallow. I mean, really? The only brown people are either savages or are saved by a white girl? Again, make sure you read works by a variety of people so you don’t fall into the same cliches other people have already thoroughly mapped out, especially when those cliches can be unfair and damaging to an entire group of real-life people.

**_Invisible Cities_ by Italo Calvino** \- All of the spaces described in this story are metaphors, so this is less an example of how to write settings realistically and more an example of giving spaces personality. It’s a fun read either way and might inspire you to reimagine your journey fics.

**_Buddha in the Attic_ by Julie Otsuka** \- This story follows the lives of eight Japanese picture brides as they adjust to America. It’s written in first person plural and is therefore a good example of using litany and juxtaposition to create tension and drama in a story that’s entirely summary.

**_Flowers for Algernon_ by Daniel Keyes** \- This is the story of a young man whose intelligence is artificially boosted, only to decline again. Take note of how the narrative voice changes throughout the story to mirror the protagonist’s intelligence.

**_She’s Come Undone_ by Wally Lamb** \- This is the story of a girl living with depression. The writer’s portrayal of his female protagonist was so thorough and convincing, I repeatedly checked the author bio to be sure he wasn’t a woman.

**_Ender’s Game_ by Orson Scott Card** \- Orson Scott Card is a homophobic jerk in real life, but his battle scenes make good use of space and demonstrating character.

_**Watership Down** _\- This is an especially good read for folks who are interested in stories with pokemon as main characters. The rabbit folklore is especially fun. It ends with a huge, emotional fight between opposing rabbit factions. Pay attention to how the stakes are set for each character and which moments are most tense.

_**The Killer Angels** _\- This novel is about the U.S. Civil War, but is still relatively slow paced. This is a good example of emotions and geography affecting a fight. It also cuts back and forth between the two sides of the conflict to raise the stakes and pull the readers’ heart strings.

_**La Belle Savauge **_**by Philip Pullman** \- The first book in the _Book of Dust_ trilogy includes several fight scenes. There’s an early one in an alley that I found especially striking. The characters have to work within the constraints of the space and navigate in the dark. Pay attention to how Philip Pullman creates mystery and danger.

**“Tide and Time” by Cutlerine** \- This story isn’t without its downfalls, but for me its strengths far, far outweigh everything else. Cutlerine does a wonderful job of reimagining the pokemon world after it has been flooded by Kyogre. There’s enough familiarity here to satisfy fans who love Hoenn, and enough newness that there is a sense of adventure and possibility around every corner. She also includes some pokemon I normally don’t care about and made them interesting and powerful, while still allowing them to be vulnerable and imperiled. Cutlerine is also great at building up lore, culture, and social hierarchy. [You can find this one on Serebii.net](https://forums.serebii.net/threads/time-and-tide.640860/).

**“Making it Big” by An Author’s Pen** \- For folks who are trying to realistically write child characters, this is a great example. This story is also a good example of how to include hardship without making it feel whiny or improbable: by making it part of how the characters see the world, respond to other characters, and view themselves. It is also a great example of consistent world building. The chapters are short, making it easy to read in nibbles. [You can find this one on Fanfiction.net.](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9989826/1/Making-It-Big)

**“Normal” by RhymeSalad** \- This story features a lovable antihero, a darker approach to pokemon training that avoids being gratuitous, and some really well-written battles. Pay special attention to the pacing in the battles! You can find this one on [FFN](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13177634/1/Normal) and on [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17514050), though I think the version on FFN is more up to date.

**“DNA” by Umachica** \- A tale of a rancher dealing with an unusual situation. This is a good example of other careers in the pokemon world and of how non-trainers see trainers. It’s abandoned, [but can be found on FanFiction.net.](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10022068/1/DNA)

**“Clipping” by Act** \- Three tourists encounter something sinister at the Ruins of the Alph. Another good example of a story about non-trainers and of character development. It’s abandoned, [but can be found on FanFiction.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5554809/1/Clipping).

For even more more fic recommendations, you can find my favorites list on FFN below [my profile](https://www.fanfiction.net/~oldschooljohto).


	28. Writing Challenge Master List

**XI. Writing Challenge Master List**

If you'd rather write than read, here is a compilation of all of the prompts for convenience.

* * *

**Write somewhere you wouldn’t normally.**

If you normally type everything on a computer, try writing in a notebook or on your phone. If you normally write on your couch, move to a park or a library. If you normally write in Microsoft Word, try writing in Notepad instead. Sometimes a change of scenery can change your mentality or offer a new perspective.

**Bonus Challenge: Eavesdrop.**

If you’re writing in a new physical space, incorporate “found dialogue” into your story. Take note of what people leave out when they speak.

**Write a scene with no dialogue.**

Start by deciding the order of events. Make sure that everything you describe is happening in the story’s present, not earlier that morning and not three years prior. If you get stuck, ask yourself, “And then what? And then what does this character do?” Think about ways each character might move in the space, objects they might touch, and things they might see.

**Write a pokemon fairy tale. **

It should center around a lesson that children in the pokemon world would need to learn. You do not need to name characters or include dialogue — general titles like “the old woman” are totally fine. (But you may if you want to.)

OR, write five hundred words of a story in first person plural. (Write from the perspective of we, us, and our instead of I, me, and mine.) Perhaps it’s from the perspective of the last survivors of the aftermath of a cataclysm caused by a legendary. Perhaps it’s from the perspective of a dugtrio or another set of closely related pokemon. Perhaps it’s from the perspective of the Rockets wondering what happened to their leader. Perhaps it’s from the perspective of a trainer’s team. Perhaps it’s from the perspective of the ghosts of Mt. Pyre. You decide.

Then, look at what you’ve written and pick a moment that interests you.** Write an expanded scene either inspired by it or following it chronologically**.

**Think of 3-5 questions you have for the fandom.**

Who? What? How? Why? What if?

The most useful questions for creating stories and world-building create new questions. **Brainstorm 5-10 more questions that arise from your previous question.**

How can you dig deeper? What details are missing? What else would you need to know to answer your first question?

**Write a scene that answers one of your secondary questions.**

It should be at least five hundred words.

**Write three questions you have for a story you’re working on.**

For each question, list two possible answers that would pull your plot in a different direction from where it’s headed now. Is there anything intriguing about those new directions? What else would have to change to make it work?

**Think of your favorite canonical fictional character. List three of their traits and which of their choices show those traits. Write three choices they could have made instead and how that would change our image of them.**

If Mulan were meant to be sneaky instead of brave, what choices might she have made instead of taking her father’s place in the army? What choices would have made Harry Potter seem more snobby? More insecure?

Think of the same character. At which moment in their story did they take the biggest risk? What did they stand to lose?

**Speed up and slow down.**

First try writing about a simple act, such as lighting a candle or making a sandwich, in great detail. Fill an entire page if you can. Don’t use internal monologue in this exercise — focus on actions. Focus as much as possible on the act itself, not other actions coming before or after.

Next, practice the opposite: compress an event that takes a long time (months, years, generations) into a single sentence. Here’s a wonderful example from writer and educator Ron Carlson: “Myra had four children in a row, turned twenty-six, and stood in the hall window with both hands over her mouth.”

What effect does each pacing give? In what types of situations would you use each?

**List three things your character wants, then answer the following questions.**

How could pursuing each of those things lead to ruin? What would be the wrong way to try to answer those desires? What might happen if they got way more of one of those things than they bargained for?

**Write a scene in which your character loses a battle.**

The focus of the scene should not be on the battle itself but on the aftermath. What additional problems must they now face? (Money shortage? Hurt pokemon? Loss of confidence?) What will they try to do next?

**Bonus challenge:** The reason they lose the battle is something other than lack of experience, misunderstanding a typing match up, not recognizing an opponent’s pokemon, or someone else’s interference. What other flaws might cause them to make a mistake or be overpowered?

**List three resources that would be terrible for your character to lose.**

These could range from a badge case to a pokemon to the use of a hand. Write a scene of at least 500 words where your character makes a decision in the aftermath of losing one.

**Reinvigorate a cliche.**

Think of something that has been completely overused in writing, whether it’s a turn of phrase, a plot structure, or a character. What could you do with it that hasn’t been done before? What details would make it feel more believable for you? (How can you embellish with tangible details from the real world?) Write a scene of five hundred words or more that takes a new perspective on something that’s been done a million times.

**Try writing a scene about one or two of these character ideas from Chapter 8.**

If you’re not sure where to start, write about them preparing to a host a guest in their own space. What are three things they must attend to first? Are they nervous, excited? How can you show their emotional state through their actions? What objects do they have in their homes?

Then write about them entering another space, either someone else’s home or a gym. What are three things they notice in that room?

**If you could describe only one of your character’s physical traits, which would it be?**

Do they have a prominent tattoo? Heavy eyebrows? Dark bags under their eyes? Dirt under the nails?

**Bonus Challenge: **Describe them again, but this time only describe movement.

How do they carry themselves — a distinctive walk, impeccable posture? Do they smile like they always have a secret, like it’s picture day, or like they’re embarrassed of their teeth? Do they talk with their hands, bite their nails?

**Write a scene where your main character battles a trainer inspired by one or more of your friends.**

Which pokemon would they pick, and how would they interact with them? What are their most distinctive physical traits? Are they bad at lying — what gives them away? — or good at tricking you? What kinds of words do they use? Do they talk quickly? What annoying habits do they have? What do they always carry with them? What’s the first thing you tell someone about them?

**Write a scene in which your character argues with a parent or parental figure.**

The argument can be about anything except their decision to leave home to become a trainer.

**Write a scene in which two characters with history have a battle.**

Decide on a history for these two characters. Are they ex-lovers? Did they grow up together? Did one ruin the reputation of the other? Use the events in the battle to show some of that history, but don’t explain directly what happened in the past.

Consider: how friendly is this match? What tone of voice would these characters use towards each other? What would they notice about how each other’s pokemon have changed over time? How does stress affect your character during a battle? Did they learn something from the other trainer that they are now using against them?

**Who are your character’s heroes?**

Their heroes might be real people, like a mentor or a famous public figure who the character looked up to as a child, or they might be mythical or folk heroes. Write either a scene where your character was inspired by their hero or a folktale that children in this world know well.

Then, **write a second scene where your character has an experience that undermines** the teachings of their hero or puts their hero in a bad light.

**Take a passage you’ve already written and rewrite it from the perspective of another character.**

For an extra challenge, write it from the perspective of a villain.

**Move the backstory to another point in the story.**

Look at either one of your own drafts or someone else’s story. Find a passage in the first chapter that explains the character’s backstory or the world’s history. Move it to a later point in the story. Write a new passage where the backstory used to be that instead teases the later reveal of this backstory or history. What objects or actions might symbolize the character’s past? How would the world’s history impact every day life? What trace evidence would the protagonists encounter in the first few chapters?

**Write two different versions of a trainer approaching a new town.**

One version should have a happy-go-lucky character and the other a cynical character. Or, write one version about a trainer who’s been to this town before and a second version about a trainer who’s never been there before. What does each notice about the town? What does each see that the other doesn’t? Don’t use internal monologue for this practice. Stick to observation and visible details.

**Describe a room full of people.**

Pick a room, whether it’s the Mauville gym, a pokemart, or professor Oak’s lab. Describe what that room feels like, only describing the people and pokemon in it. What details can you add to make the room feel tense? What details can you add to create a silly, light-hearted mood in the room?

**Write a scene in which the pokemon with a type disadvantage wins because its trainer successfully leverages the terrain to their advantage.**

**Take a long battle scene, either one you’ve written or one from a story you love, and summarize it in one paragraph.**

Then try summarizing it with one sentence.

Next, try the opposite. Write a sentence about a battle. Then expand that sentence into a paragraph. Then try to expand that paragraph into a scene.

**Write down the most interesting thing about your hometown and a secret.**

The interesting thing can be something small, like being home to a famous athlete or having a cool mural. The secret might be as intense as a hometown murder story or as mundane as a nature trail few know about. Find a place in the canon pokemon towns where you could include a version of each of these details.

**Travel someplace new.**

It doesn’t have to be somewhere far — it could be a ten minute walk to a coffee shop you’ve never been to before or a thirty minute train ride to the next town over. List as many details about what you see, smell, hear, and taste as possible.

Next, get out your phone or your computer and “travel.” Pick a place you’ve always wanted to go and find as many pictures as you can. Use Google maps street view and take a virtual walk. What makes you curious about this place? What do you most wish you could explore or visit in person? How is the architecture different there from where you live? Are the streets wide or narrow? What are the trees like?

**Write a scene where your character visits one of these two places and sees an old friend.**

**For each type of location threat in the following list, think of a place in the canon of pokemon that could fit that description.**

Try mixing and matching in surprising ways. Yes, a construction site could be an obvious nominee for a death trap. But what if, instead, the character’s family home were somehow the deathtrap?

• Crossroads (motivation: to bring people, and things, together)

• Deathtrap (motivation: to harm intruders)

• Den (motivation: to harbor monsters)

• Fortress (motivation: to deny entry)

• Hellgate (motivation: to create evil)

• Hub (motivation: to reveal information)

• Lab (motivation: to create weirdness)

• Maze (motivation: to confuse and separate)

• Prison (motivation: to constrain and prevent exit)

• Wilds (motivation: to contain hidden things)

**Write a tense scene that takes place in a mundane setting.**

Perhaps it’s a dentist’s office, a playground, or a parking lot. How can you raise the stakes? What would make that familiar space unsettling, unsafe, or unusual?

**Create a sanctuary for your character.**

What makes it special? Why does your character feel safe there?

Now **write a scene in which your character discovers a secret about that sanctuary and they no longer feel safe there.**

**Write about why your character can never, ever return home.**

Who are the new, unfriendly powers who have taken over? What destroyed the town? How have changes in the character made home hostile to them or vice versa?

**Writing challenge: write two extra beginnings.**

Look at a story you’ve already started and write two new beginnings for it.

First, rewind: write 1 - 5 opening paragraphs that take place before the current beginning of your story. What can we learn about your characters by starting earlier? What other context could we add to the current problem?

Next, fast forward: jump ahead to the first big conflict and rewrite it as an opening sequence for the story. Is anything missing that prevents the reader from understanding or empathizing? Is it more exciting than the first version? 

This character is not collecting gym badges or challenging the Elite Four. **Write about what they’re doing instead.**

Someone misunderstands something crucial about this character. **Write a scene in which they argue with another trainer.**

**Editing challenge: prioritize the narrative.**

What is your goal with this passage? Does it move us forward is the story, or is it a detour? Are any parts irrelevant to the overall themes or plot points of the story? Does dialogue show something critical about the character, or is it just entertaining to me? Is there enough foreshadowing for future events? Does this sentence or paragraph or scene need to happen at this point in the story — should it happen sooner? Later?

**Editing challenge: evaluate characterization.**

What does your protagonist want during this scene? Do other characters want a different outcome? If so, what efforts do they make to pursue their own agenda? Do they cave in too easily to the protagonist’s needs? Is the protagonist pursuing what they want or what you need them to pursue to advance your story? Is your character meaner or more clueless or more volatile than you intended? Does the reader have enough information to care about your character? Is all the information they do have interesting and necessary? Where can you find places to show with action and body language what your character thinks and feels?

**Editing challenge: create sense of place.**

What clues, if any, already point towards place? Are these enough, or do we need more? Do we need to know anything about the weather or the temperature in the room? How many of the five senses are being applied to this scene? Is it clear where characters are and what they’re doing? Are there enough words to describe where characters are in relation to each other? Where are actions confusing or hard to picture?

**Editing challenge: pace it out.**

Are there enough slower, quieter moments for characters to reflect, plan, and have emotional realizations? Does it feel like all your characters do is run from place to place? Does it take too long to get to the action? Does it feel like all your characters do is talk? Are there places where shorter sentences would increase the tension of the scene?

**Editing challenge: revise tone.**

What do you want readers to feel when they read this scene? (Hint: What’s the mood of the perspective character?) Which lines or details support that feeling or mood, and which shift away from it? If the mood changes throughout the passage, does the change reflect the perspective character’s response to events of the scene? Or does the mood change because of metaphor choice or offhand comments? Are your similes and metaphors your observations or observations the perspective character would make?

**Editing challenge: check continuity.**

Are any of the pokemon that fainted at the outset of the chapter suddenly all better at the end of it with no explanation? Has it been too long since a key character or item has been mentioned? Have any nicknames, place names, or names of items changed by mistake? Is the time line consistent throughout? Do characters know information they aren’t supposed to yet? Have they forgotten to act upon something they were supposed to know?

**Editing challenge: look for repetition.**

Are there words or phrases you overuse? Are there filler words (e.g. just, like, in order to, of, sort of, a little, a bit, somewhat, some) you can cut? Do two paragraphs in a row start with the same word? Do two sentences in a row start with the same word? Do two sentences in a row have the same structure, length, and rhythm? Are any sentences redundant or already obvious without being said explicitly?

**Editing challenge: improve flow.**

Does each idea naturally lead to the next, or are there gaps? (Be careful with words like this, they, some people, others, experts, etc. Who or what specifically are we referring to?) Do any ideas need further explanation? How does it sound out loud? Should any long sentences be split into two or more sentences? Are all of your subjects and verbs in agreement? Is verb tense consistent throughout? Is there any accidental head-hopping?

**Write a response to your favorite story from _Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond._**

Maybe that means writing a version of it that takes place in the pokemon world, maybe it means borrowing just one character or social structure, maybe it means writing a sequel or continuation. See what you can come up with.)


	29. Glossary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case.

**XII. Glossary**

**Adverbs** \- Words that describe adjectives or verbs, often ending in -ly. Considered forbidden, overused, or lazy in some writing circles. You can use them if you want, but be intentional about it. Check for redundancy and be sure another word wouldn’t have a better effect.

**Antihero** \- A central character who lacks heroic qualities. Often someone who has noble intent but chooses morally dubious methods. Examples: Batman, Baz Pitch, Dexter Morgan, Don Draper, House M.D., Rorschach, Walt White.

**Antagonist** \- The character who thwarts the protagonist.

**Backstory** \- Information about the past of a character, group of characters, or place that happened before the beginning of your story. It may be leaked later in your story as part of a character’s development, or it may be secret information that only you know because it exists outside the story completely but still shapes how your characters behave.

**Character** \- Who the story is about. Can be human or something else. Makes decisions and has desires that motivate interactions with others and plot turns.

**Character arc** \- How a character changes or fails to change throughout the course of the story.

**Dialogue** \- Words spoken aloud by a character.

**Dialogue tags** \- The words on either side of dialogue that denote who is speaking and how. Most commonly: _said_.

**Epithet** \- A word or phrase used in place of a character's name. (For example: a character who is unknown to the perspective character might be called "the man in black.")

**Exposition** \- Introduces information about events, characters, setting, and other story elements. Connects scenes. Part of both scene and summary.

**Eye dialect** \- The use of non-standard spelling in dialogue to draw attention to pronunciation, usually used to denote a character’s class or an accent. Playful and expressive, but can be hard to read.

**Grimdark** \- Describes stories that exist in a particularly oppressive, violent, and/or amoral world.

**Head-hopping** \- When the story’s point of view changes suddenly in the middle of a scene. Can confuse readers.

**Info dump** \- A large amount of information received at once, especially at the beginning of a story. Can be inelegant and even boring.

**Inner monologue** \- A character’s verbatim thoughts. Usually italicized.

**Jargon** \- Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.

**Litany** \- Repetition in a poetic sense; lists.

**Outer World** \- Everything in a story except what goes on in a character’s head.

**Passive voice** \- Sentence structure in which the action is emphasized rather than the subject. Example: The train was robbed. Too many passive sentences can take energy from the story and/or make unclear who is performing the action.

**Plagiarism** \- The act of claiming another person’s art or writing is your own.

**Plot** \- The events that happen in a story.

**Point of view** \- The perspective from which your story is told.

  * _First person_ \- uses I, me, and my. The narrator is telling their own story. Can also be plural (we, us, and our), but it’s uncommon.
  * _Second person_ \- uses you. The narrator addresses the reader directly. Uncommon.
  * _Third person_ \- The narrator is not the main character, but tells the story as if watching from a distance. The narrator can be a minor character in the story explaining what happened to another character, or might be an invisible and unnamed spectator. Can be limited (closely following one character as if watching over their shoulder) or omniscient (aware of events happening all over the world to various characters as if watching from above).

**Protagonist** \- The main character, often a hero or antihero.

**Scene** \- A specific moment in the story happening at a specific time and in at least one specific place. Usually contains dialogue, character interaction, and descriptions. May contain summaries of past events.

**Self-Insert** \- A character heavily based on the writer.

**Setting** \- The circumstance of a story, including location, year, weather, political environment, social structures, technology, and more.

**Summary** \- A moment in the story that is vague about time, place, or both. May be a montage of many moments across a period of time, or may be an abbreviated version of a single event.

**Trope** \- A literary device (e.g. simile, metaphor, and others) that consists of words other than their literal sense. It can also refer to a commonly occurring literary device, motif, or cliche. For example, in Pokemon there’s the trope of the naive new trainer getting their pokemon from a professor.


	30. Prompt Responses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've written a response to a prompt in this guide and you want me to share it, comment here or PM me on FFN and send me a link. Be sure to include which prompt you're responding to!
> 
> If you want to comment on one of the pieces linked here, please do so in the comments/reviews section of that fic and not here -- thanks.

**XIII. Prompt Responses**

A few brave writers have reached out to let me know they've written something in response to a prompt in this guide. I love seeing how different people respond to the same prompt and thought you might as well. I hope seeing the responses others have come up with inspires you to try your own.  
  


  * Dauntless - [FFN](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13553638/1/Dauntless)
  * A Group of Nickits is Called a Nacket - [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22253557) / [FFN](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13477878/1/a-group-of-nickits-is-called-a-nacket)
  * A Lesson on Wallys - [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22253779) / [FFN](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13477882/1/A-Lesson-on-Wallys)


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